Sighting in Orléans, May 15, 2016

Shortly after half past midnight, a witness walking their dog noticed three orange lights low in the sky, arranged in a triangle. They were motionless and glowed brighter every other second. The first light then went out, while the second and third rose very quickly before vanishing too. Only one account was collected.

The witness was looking roughly south, and the objects moved from their left to their right, that is, from northeast to southwest. According to the weather data, the wind was blowing toward the southwest (233°), which matches that direction of travel. These orange, then red, balls seen on a weekend evening suggested a release of sky lanterns, known as Chinese or Thai lanterns, after a wedding or private party. Their shape and colour fit such lanterns, and the brightness changing from one second to the next resembles a flickering flame. One ball climbing toward the clouds is also consistent: with an updraft, or with no wind between the houses, lanterns can seem to move against the prevailing wind. That another ball then followed the same path confirms a narrow stream of wind.

GEIPAN concluded that the witness had seen Thai lanterns (class A).