Sighting in Saint-Pryvé-Saint-Mesmin, March 9, 2025

From home, the witness looked north shortly after midnight, on the night from Saturday to Sunday, and saw a group of ten to twelve white luminous objects. They moved silently in a straight line at a steady pace, from east to west. The sighting lasted about fifteen minutes, and the witness took two photographs.

The witness was alone, but GEIPAN considers the case consistent because the two photos could be used in the investigation. According to the witness, all the objects were the same size. In the photos they look unequal, and their size varies by a factor of two between the two shots: the analysis attributes this to an artefact caused by the objects moving during the exposure. Assuming they were carried by the wind, their distance was estimated at 400 to 500 metres and their size at about 1 to 1.40 metres.

The investigation retained the hypothesis of luminous balloons. A Saturday-to-Sunday night is well suited to festive use. White is a common colour for such balloons. The objects drifted in the direction of the wind, on a straight, regular path consistent with balloons carried by it. Light, helium-filled balloons of up to 90 cm in diameter exist and are easily released or lost. No local festive event using such balloons was found, but release by a private individual remains entirely possible. GEIPAN classified the case as B: probable observation of luminous balloons.