MOULINS-LES-METZ (57) 29.04.2012

On Sunday 29 April 2012 at about 16:15, a witness saw a grey spherical shape moving below the clouds. Intrigued, he filmed its straight path and reported a plume of white smoke or flames beneath it. It disappeared behind the neighbouring building. GEIPAN considers the nearly straight movement, matching the strong wind from south to southwest, suggestive of a balloon. Backlighting would make it appear dark. It was probably not spherical: as it rotated, occasional sunlight reflections would produce brief flashes. Its relative sharpness suggests it was less than 1 km away and therefore modest in size, under 1 m. Small whirling white points could be pollen, common during the first mild spring days and very bright when backlit. No other account was collected. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable observation of a party balloon, probably released from Ars-sur-Moselle or farther south.