Sighting in Pierrefonds, July 23, 2011
Oise, Hauts-de-France, France
Sighting on July 23, 2011 in Pierrefonds (Oise, France). GEIPAN identified the phenomenon with certainty: it was a sky lantern (class A).
What happened
At around 11:30 pm, two witnesses noticed several orange points of light moving across the sky together as a group. The lights gradually drifted away toward the horizon until they could no longer be seen. The witnesses made a video and took photographs.
GEIPAN's investigation concluded that they had seen Thai lanterns. The witnesses' account, the video and the photos all fit this explanation, as does the wind, which was blowing from the northwest. The lanterns had probably been released in the Compiègne forest. The timing, a Saturday late in the evening, is also typical of a lantern release at the end of a party. One of the photos shows a lantern clearly enough to make it out, which is why the case was classified A (identified).
Account rewritten by SkyUnknown from the investigation report published by GEIPAN (CNES). The original text and case documents are on the official record.
- Date
- July 23, 2011
- Location
- Pierrefonds · town centre
- Type of sighting
- From the ground
- Source classification
- A
- Explanation
- Sky lanterns
Sources
- See the original document
GEIPAN (CNES)
n° 2011-07-02848
Summary written by SkyUnknown from the facts published by the source.