MANDELIEU-LA-NAPOULE (06) 18.05.2014

At about 21:20 on 18 May 2014 in Mandelieu-la-Napoule (06), a pedestrian saw a red-orange object apparently burning in the sky. He took his car, reached a position beneath it and photographed it. It changed course and disappeared from view. Calsky listed no very bright satellite at that time. TIROS2 had reentered the atmosphere that day, but early in the day, completely inconsistent with the sighting. GEIPAN finds the description of a flame in the sky suggestive of a sky lantern moving southwest. Cannes Météociel data show light wind varying from north toward west between 21:00 and 22:00, potentially consistent with the movement. The photographs resemble typical lantern images. A Sunday evening during the Cannes Film Festival is also favorable for celebrations. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable sky lantern. The witness rejected the hypothesis.