Sighting in Noisy-le-Grand, June 22, 2014

Shortly before 1 a.m. on a Sunday, a witness stepping out of their residence saw two bright orange lights moving across the night sky. They followed the lights until they were out of sight. The lights moved silently, travelling from the north-east towards the west. The witness drew what they saw: two orange circles. No one else reported the sighting.

GEIPAN considered that an orange light crossing the sky in a few minutes on a weekend night strongly suggests a Thai lantern, probably released nearby after a private party, perhaps for the Fête de la Musique. The described shape suggests two lanterns side by side, possibly tied together. However, the drawing does not quite match a Thai lantern seen from below, where a very bright point would be expected at the centre.

The weather records consulted show a very weak, unstable westerly wind at Neuilly-sur-Marne, about 2 km away, shifting to the south-east around 2 a.m. At Roissy, 20 km to the north, the wind was weak and blew from the north-east to north. The Marne, 600 m away, and the urban setting could explain the change in direction. The case was classified B: probable observation of Thai lanterns.