CHATOU (78) 07.07.2018

On 7 July 2018 at 23:39, a witness saw and filmed a round orange light moving silently through the night sky. He described it disappearing behind cloud after several flashes. He considered several explanations but remained intrigued. Only one account was collected. The investigation found all its features consistent with a sky lantern carried by wind and probably released for a celebration that Saturday evening (see investigation report): - A spherical appearance matching the illuminated center of a lantern seen at some distance. - Yellow-orange color with a paler surrounding halo, corresponding to the envelope illuminated by the flame. - Silent movement. - A brief 2-minute observation, while a lantern can remain lit for more than 10 minutes. - Extinction clearly visible in the video. The witness said it disappeared after flashing three times. A lantern's flame flickers and diminishes as fuel runs out, then goes out completely. - A summer Saturday evening, favorable to festivities involving lantern releases. - A greatly overestimated viewing distance. Within the lantern hypothesis, two methods—IPACO analysis of the photograph and witness-supplied angular data—both gave about 150–200 m, compatible with a lantern. The two main sources of strangeness were also explained: - The witness felt no wind and thought the light too fast. His sheltered terrace accounts for the absence of felt wind; apparent excessive speed resulted from believing it much farther away than it was. - He described a curved course. The investigation calls the curve apparent, explaining that initial vertical ascent was interpreted as movement toward him because he could not judge distance. It then describes the lantern encountering stronger airflow and progressively turning south along a curve. Both parts of the source's explanation are retained. The case is classified A: misidentification of a sky lantern.