SAINT-MAIME (04) 24.12.2015

On 24 December 2015 at 17:50, two women walking outdoors watched an intense red light move silently through a slightly cloudy sky for 8 minutes. It ascended, became more orange and disappeared into cloud. They moved position and then saw a black shape emerge from the clouds, first moving straight and then descending, still silently. They lost it when its dark color blended with the mountain. Only one account was collected. The reporting witness searched extensively for other accounts and an explanation. Color, shape and brightness alone are typical of a sky lantern. The festive date, Christmas Eve, and especially the final phase reinforce that hypothesis. An object becoming dark and descending as if to land matches a lantern whose flame has gone out. It can remain visible as a gray or black shape in a not-too-dark sky, not necessarily round: here the witness described a cell-like shape, using the word 'alvéole'. She said moonlight provided dim illumination and shadow. She felt no wind, but little wind at ground level does not exclude airflow at 100–200 m. Even 6 km/h moves an object 1 km in 10 minutes, producing considerable angular movement for a lantern 100 m high. No local weather record is available to compare the actual trajectory with wind. Silence adds strangeness for an unfamiliar object but is fully compatible with a windborne balloon. The witness estimated an object twice the size of a glider; judging size is difficult without recognizing an object or knowing its distance. Many details support a sky lantern released for a private celebration. GEIPAN classifies the observation B: probable sky lantern.