Sighting in Nice, September 13, 2015

Two people were on a balcony one evening, at around 8:30 pm, when they noticed five yellow-orange points of light moving silently across the sky on a rising path. Three of the lights formed a triangle. The sighting lasted one to two minutes. Only one witness account was collected during the investigation.

GEIPAN classified the case as B, meaning the lights were probably Thai lanterns. Several points support this: the orange colour is similar to that of lanterns; the number of lights matches a typical group release; they moved together in the direction of the prevailing wind, at low speed, as objects do in little or no wind; the apparent shape was most likely an illusion of perception created by the lights moving together; the duration fits the lifespan of lanterns; and there was no noise. The date, a Sunday evening, is also consistent with lantern releases held for celebrations. The lights vanished when the lanterns reached the end of their life and went out. Finally, open-air venues suited to such releases lay nearby, in the direction of the sighting.