Sighting in Lourdes, April 29, 2011
Hautes-Pyrénées, Occitanie, France
Sighting on April 29, 2011 in Lourdes (Hautes-Pyrénées, France). According to GEIPAN, it was most probably a sky lantern (class B).
What happened
The witness was closing the shutters of their bedroom at around 9:50 p.m. when they noticed a bright orange glow in the sky. What puzzled them was that the glow changed direction as it moved.
The investigation compared this description with the appearance of a Thai lantern drifting in a light wind. In an urban setting the air is fairly turbulent, which can account for sudden changes of direction. The colour, brightness and duration of the sighting all fit a Thai lantern well. GEIPAN therefore classified the case as B: probably a Thai lantern.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- April 29, 2011
- Location
- Lourdes · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- B
- Explanation
- Sky lanterns
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 2011-04-02749
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.