GAUDE (LA) (06) 16.08.2013

On 16 August 2013 at 13:33, 3 people in La Gaude (06) saw a metallic-gray object passing silently. Only 1 account was collected. Looking west toward the Baou des Blancs summit, the witness saw it travel left to right, south to north, while rising, over about 4 minutes. GEIPAN finds that path compatible with an approximately 18 km/h southerly wind. A windborne object would have traveled just over 1 km. Assuming a 2 m balloon, such as a homemade solar balloon illustrated in the referenced “Vol de ballons solaires,” geometric analysis of the photograph places it about 700 m away; see the diagram. It could equally be 4 m across at 1.4 km. Its origin could not be established, and no notable celebrations were found south of the witness. It might have been an amateur experimental object or a party balloon, perhaps shaped like the digit 1. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable balloon of unknown origin.