[D283] DE RUAUDIN (72) VERS SAINT-MARS-D'OUTILLE (72) 18.04.2015

On 18 April 2015 around 23:30, while travelling on the D283 from Ruaudin towards Saint-Mars-d’Outille, a driver was alerted by his son in the back seat to a red light in the sky. In his mirror he saw 6 or 7 luminous red-orange balls moving silently in formation and seemingly following the vehicle. He stopped and watched their progress until all but 1 had disappeared, taking several photographs. GEIPAN considers orange balls crossing the sky in a few minutes on a weekend night strongly suggestive of Thai sky lanterns, probably released nearby after a private party. The apparent northeast-to-northwest motion was considered compatible with the sustained northeasterly wind recorded in Le Mans and reported by Météociel. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable sky lanterns.