Sighting in Metz, August 5, 2013
Moselle, Grand Est, France
Sighting on August 5, 2013 in Metz (Moselle, France). According to GEIPAN, it was most probably a sky lantern (class B).
What happened
Between 11:00 and 11:20 pm, a witness looked up at a stormy sky and saw five yellowish lights that seemed to flicker. They moved quickly, curved to the left, and went out of the witness's sight. A few seconds later, another light appeared and followed the same path.
The testimony was considered of high quality, with a very precise account of where the objects were. They were seen in the south-southeast and were heading east. This description fits Thai lanterns very well: orange balls drifting steadily, fairly common in cities on summer nights. The wind was blowing from the northwest at 16 to 30 km/h, which does not exactly match the path observed. The investigation suggests local disturbances could explain this, caused by the nearby Moselle river and by the Plappeville hill just west of the witness.
GEIPAN classified the case as B: probable sighting of Thai lanterns.
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- August 5, 2013
- Location
- Metz · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- B
- Explanation
- Sky lanterns
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 2013-08-08527
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.