TALENCE (33) 09.03.2014

On Sunday 9 March 2014 at 00:28, a witness on his apartment terrace in Talence saw a silent orange diamond-shaped object pass through the sky from southeast to northwest, at what he judged to be an aircraft’s speed. GEIPAN considers a silent orange object moving horizontally with the wind strongly suggestive of a flying lantern, either a Thai sky lantern or a Tura balloon, probably released after a party. The object receded northwest, consistent with the light southeasterly wind recorded in Bordeaux; the source references the weather record. A diamond shape is unusual for Thai sky lanterns, but the object could have been a Tura balloon, which works on the same hot-air principle. The source also references material on Tura balloons. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable flying lantern. It did not seek to identify whoever released it.