NOISY-LE-GRAND (93) 22.06.2014

On Sunday 22 June 2014 at 00:55, a witness leaving his residence saw 2 bright orange lights moving in the night sky. He followed their silent movements until they were lost from view. No other account was collected. GEIPAN considers orange lights crossing the sky over a few minutes on a weekend night strongly suggestive of sky lanterns, probably released nearby after a private celebration, perhaps for the Fête de la Musique. The described shape suggests 2 adjoining lanterns, possibly tied together. However, the drawing of 2 orange circles does not closely match lanterns viewed from below, where a very bright central point should be visible. Their movement was northeast to west. Météociel records for Neuilly-sur-Marne, about 2 km away, show a very light, variable westerly wind changing to southeast at 02:00. At Roissy, 20 km north of Noisy-le-Grand, the wind was light and from northeast to north. The Marne, 600 m away, and the urban surroundings could produce variable air currents explaining the direction change. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable observation of sky lanterns.