METZ (57) 01.08.2013

On 1 August 2013 at 00:40, 2 people in Metz saw a flashing orange ball above a tree. It rose into a clear sky and was then hidden by a nearby building. No particular sound was heard. Only 1 account was obtained. GEIPAN considers the description consistent with a Thai sky lantern, a common sight on summer nights in towns: an orange ball moving continuously west to east and fading towards the end. However, the northerly wind was perpendicular to the reported path and prevented confirmation. The wind was very light, 1–4 km/h, so a differently directed local breeze was possible. Without sufficiently local weather data, GEIPAN classifies the case C for insufficient information.