Sighting in Marseille, February 4, 2009

A witness reported two sightings made from their kitchen window, on the 9th floor and facing north-west. The first took place at 2:45 a.m.: the witness saw coloured shapes moving in an unusual way before they quickly vanished at the horizon. Four days later, at 6:45 a.m., the witness and their son watched a red-orange sphere rise and then descend.

In the first sighting, the red-orange object had crossed the witness's field of view from south-east to north-west, in the same direction as the wind. The investigation suggested that a festive lantern, of the kind known as a "Thai lantern", could possibly account for it. The second sighting, treated as the main one, occurred exactly in the direction of the Moon, which the witness had not mentioned. Its red, changing appearance, so late in the night, most likely misled the witness.

GEIPAN classified the case as "A": the object was the Moon setting, partly hidden by clouds. The other sightings would be classed "C" because of insufficient information.