VILLE-DU-BOIS (LA) (91) 06.11.2011

On 6 November 2011 at about 13:00, a witness saw a dull orange ball with an apparent size like a pinhead. It seemed stationary at a high but hard-to-estimate altitude. After looking away briefly, the witness could no longer find it. The observation lasted 10 seconds. No other account was collected. An orange rubber balloon at about 500 m could explain it. The source calculates that even at the ground-level wind speed of 30 km/h, its apparent motion at 500 m would be about 1° per second, difficult to judge against uniform sky near the zenith. Wind at 500 m may also differ from surface wind. The source explains that helium-filled rubber balloons commonly burst fairly soon while ascending, accounting for sudden disappearance, although the witness did not see that happen. The case is classified B: probable balloon.