HEROUVILLE-SAINT-CLAIR (14) 29.11.2014

On 29 November at about 23:30, a witness on his balcony saw 6 luminous points cross the sky in less than 10 seconds. The grey-white points seemed to form a single dark mass that hid the stars. The UAP moved out of view without any audible sound. GEIPAN considered sky lanterns, since lights in formation crossed part of the sky in under a minute on a Saturday night. Weather records for Caen show light wind changing from southeast to north between 22:00 and 23:00, then becoming very weak and variable during the night. The precise wind at 23:15 in nearby Hérouville therefore cannot be established, preventing confirmation. Unlike most lantern accounts, which describe orange balls, this witness reported grey-white points. GEIPAN considers the dark flat mass very probably an illusory contour, a common impression when observing groups of lanterns or satellite triplets, although no satellites were visible at that hour. Despite substantial similarities, the uncertain wind and unusual grey-white colour leave insufficient evidence to confirm sky lanterns. GEIPAN classifies the case C for lack of information.