SAINT-VALLIER-DE-THIEY (06) 27.12.2015

On 27 December 2015 between 17:05 and 17:15, a driver was astonished to see a fluorescent-orange object shaped like an ‘upside-down soup plate’ in the sky. It appeared stationary and was surrounded by an orange halo. It then moved southwest without any audible sound and disappeared at the horizon. Several other motorists stopped at the roadside reportedly also observed it. Only 1 account was submitted. GEIPAN considers an orange ball visible for several minutes on a weekend night strongly suggestive of a sky lantern, probably released from Saint-Vallier after a private year-end celebration. The reported movement was slight and southwestward. The weather station at Auribeau-sur-Siagne, 12 km away, recorded no wind (see the Infoclimat record for that day). GEIPAN explains that very light, highly local winds can occur along mountain valleys at sunset and are difficult to predict. That weather record therefore provides no decisive confirmation of the lantern explanation. GEIPAN considers the unsuccessful photograph unsurprising, given mobile-phone cameras’ poor performance in low light. Despite the lack of confirming evidence, the description and the high frequency of lantern releases during the year-end festive period lead GEIPAN to classify the case B: probable observation of a sky lantern.