LYON (69) 28.07.2016

On 28 July 2016 between 01:10 and 01:14, a witness opened his window and, for a few seconds, saw several points of light moving rapidly in a rough V formation. He first thought of birds illuminated from below, then fighter aircraft, but heard no sound. The yellow-white lights faded into the night. Only 1 account was collected. GEIPAN considers a group of sky lanterns probable for the following reasons. The lights were star-like but had a perceptible size that decreased, probably as lanterns moved away. Their formation could reflect travel in the same current of air. The final upward pitching motion and fading could result from lantern flames going out together, sometimes causing a change of path. Infoclimat records show a westerly wind in Lyon that night. The observed movement indicates travel eastward, consistent with that wind, and northward: the UAP receded from the north-facing witness as their angular size and elevation decreased. The urban location close to a major river favours local wind variations relative to a weather station even a few kilometres away. The sighting also occurred on a summer night, conducive to celebrations involving lantern releases. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable observation of sky lanterns.