PERPIGNAN (66) 23.06.2008

On Monday, 23 June 2008 at about 08:45, witness T1 was talking with someone in a supermarket car park when that person pointed out a stationary object in the sky. T1 then saw it move silently westward in a straight line, slowly and at constant altitude according to the summary. He ran to his girlfriend T2's sixth-floor home for a better view. By the time they reached her balcony, it was only a point above the bus station. It left no smoke and emitted no light. T1 described a smooth, circular black sphere with gray tubes beneath it and drew it in the official report. T1 and T2 gave statements; the person in the car park did not. Its movement matched the recorded east-to-west wind, maximum 12 km/h (Météociel weather attachment). A smooth sphere with 4 round-ended tubes fitted an advertising or party balloon, which can take many shapes, including animals and logos. The 23–24 June period brings local festivities: the Canigou flame's descent, fireworks and fairground rides. Balloon sellers are numerous near exhibition grounds. Shape and behavior matched an escaped balloon drifting slowly to moderately with the wind. It appeared 400 m west of the Palais des Expositions, which hosts fairs, trade shows and exhibitions using advertising objects at entrances and inside to mark stands. The attached tubes and steady, straight movement puzzled the witness, although the movement more than the shape accounted for his concern. A humanoid or animal shape supported the balloon hypothesis, with 4 legs attached to a spherical body. Its straight path matched winds recorded between 08:00 and 09:00, and the uniform smooth appearance matched a shaped balloon. In the urban setting, T1 had not noticed the 12 km/h east wind. The account had good substantiation, with 2 witnesses but no photographs, and low strangeness. The appearance and motion fitted an animal-shaped or fanciful balloon carried by the wind; 23 June was a regional celebration day in Perpignan. The case was classified A: a high probability of an advertising party balloon.