LYON (69) 28.06.2013

On 28 June 2013 at 22:58, a witness saw lights moving in straight lines above buildings in Lyon. Three orange points outlining a triangle were followed by 3 more outlining a larger triangle, then a single point appeared. No unusual sound was heard during the intermittent observation lasting several minutes. The lights disappeared behind the urban landscape. The witness observed and filmed 2 passages of orange lights in formation. Local newspaper articles covered the sighting; see Le Progrès. The witness reported west-to-east motion, but analysis of the location map and video shows north-to-south, or north-northwest to south-southeast, motion. Arrival from the north fits windborne objects: Météociel recorded a northerly wind at Bron. Another Le Progrès article, dated 3 July 2013, described a private-party lantern release. Weather records show that lanterns released at La Confluence in southern Lyon could not have been those seen by this witness. Orange balls moving with the wind suggest sky lanterns. A stable triangle is common when lanterns are released in threes: if the wind is steady, though it is not always so, they can maintain equal spacing. These lanterns may have been launched a few minutes earlier northwest of the witness, probably from Croix-Rousse, during one of the many private or public celebrations on the last Fridays of June. GEIPAN did not search for those responsible for the release. The case is classified B: probable sky lanterns.