Sighting in Saint-François, August 26, 2012

A witness reported an observation made by several people at about 9:30 p.m.: twelve luminous objects crossed the sky silently, heading west. They appeared in successive waves, each made up of several objects. Each one was ovoid, with a red outline, an orange interior and three clearly visible yellow balls inside. The witness filed a statement with the gendarmerie, which carried out its own inquiry, and the local press was also contacted.

The GEIPAN investigation noted that the color of the objects, their slow drift on a light easterly wind (supported by a map and weather record) and their release in series are all typical of a release of flying lanterns. A detailed photographic analysis showed that the light given off was entirely similar to that of Thai lanterns. Only the shape differed: the objects were neither circular nor elliptical like ordinary lanterns, but made up of three yellow points inside a reddish-orange envelope. Three Thai lanterns tied together would look just like that. GEIPAN therefore classified the case as B: probably Thai lanterns attached together in groups of three.