AUCAMVILLE (31) 13.09.2015

From 01:15 to 01:30 on 13 September 2015, a witness on his balcony in Aucamville (31) watched 8 bright orange lights appear successively and move silently from southeast to northwest across a clear sky. They disappeared one after another. He took photographs, and only 1 account was collected. GEIPAN found that orange balls crossing the sky over a few minutes on a weekend night strongly suggested sky lanterns, probably released nearby after the local festival or a private celebration. The photographs were out of focus, a common problem in night photography under these conditions, showing only a blurred orange circle. GEIPAN considered them evidence that the phenomenon occurred, with a colour fully consistent with sky lanterns. The southeast-to-northwest movement matched the easterly wind turning southeasterly during the night, recorded at Toulouse-Blagnac by Météociel. GEIPAN explains that very steady movement is normal for an object drifting in a light wind. Conversely, industrial areas with strong ventilation or large heat sources can make paths irregular. Lanterns are often released one at a time, separated by the similar time required to light each burner, producing a very orderly line of lights. Because lanterns have low intrinsic brightness, GEIPAN notes that observers often place them farther away than they really are and consequently overestimate their speed. It classified the case B: probable observation of sky lanterns.