Sighting in Rivecourt, September 26, 2015

Shortly before midnight, a witness saw about twenty lights in the sky that looked like street lamps but were moving. They were orange balls that crossed the sky within a few minutes, on a weekend night. Only one account was collected. The lights travelled from the north-east toward the south-east. The witness thought of Thai lanterns but could not understand why one of them seemed to move faster than the others.

The investigation linked the sighting to a release of Thai lanterns, most likely launched nearby at the end of a private party. The observed direction fits well with the north-east wind recorded at Creil. The faster lantern was probably the last one released, and so had not yet reached the same altitude as the others. Wind at altitude may also differ somewhat from wind near the ground, and a perspective effect is possible: at equal speed, a nearby object looks faster than a distant one. GEIPAN classified the case as B, probable observation of Thai lanterns.