[D923] de BAILLEUL (59) vers NIEPPE (59) 01.01.2016

On 1 January 2016 at 00:15, a motorist and his passenger on the D923 from Bailleul to Nieppe (59) saw a diamond-shaped yellow-orange object move slowly and silently south to north at low altitude, followed by 2 others. The source summary instead calls the colour red-orange. Fireworks were being set off at the same time. No other account was collected. GEIPAN considers orange balls or discs on a festive night such as New Year's Eve strongly suggestive of sky lanterns probably released nearby after a private celebration. Armentières weather station, 3 km away, recorded light wind with a strong south-to-north component, matching passage across the road. The witness then reported a turn to follow the road. GEIPAN notes that an impression of travelling along it does not exclude a substantial cross-road component, especially since he also described slow progress along the road while observing from a moving car. Wind records also show considerable directional instability. The case is classified B: probable observation of sky lanterns.