WAVRECHAIN-SOUS-DENAIN (59) 27.12.2015

On 27 December 2015 at 18:35, a witness in Wavrechain-sous-Denain (59) saw 2 white circular shapes moving silently through a clear sky, one slightly offset behind the other. They traveled south to north or northeast. A red point on the second went out after 2 seconds. The total sighting lasted under 10 seconds. No other account was collected. GEIPAN finds the description, later phrased in the source as white circular forms flying side by side, strongly suggestive of sky lanterns. South-to-north motion matched winds recorded at Lille and Cambrai, the latter described as 10 km away; see the weather document. The apparently fast angular movement, 50° in 10 seconds, could fit 20 km/h wind allowing a factor-of-2 uncertainty in local wind speed, lantern altitude of 50 or 100 m, or duration of 10 or 20 seconds. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable sky lanterns.