MARTIGUES (13) 02.12.2018

On Sunday 2 December 2018 around 19:05, a motorist noticed 2 bright red points due south in an overcast sky. They remained visible when he reached his destination, so he took 2 photographs and a video with a smartphone. He then saw both objects gain elevation along the same line of travel and disappear into cloud. He heard no sound. Only 1 account was collected. GEIPAN considers that the witness probably saw sky lanterns. The observation fits this explanation in several respects: - Appearance: 2 red or orange luminous points, as described and shown in the video. - Trajectory: the points followed one another, as lanterns carried by the same airflow typically do. Movement is described very imprecisely. A westward component can be inferred because the second UAP, initially farther east, joined the first; a northward component is suggested by their increasing elevation for an observer looking south. The extent of either movement is unknown. The wind carrying the lanterns is also very uncertain: ground wind directions differed substantially between nearby stations, including Istres, Cap-Couronne and Marignane, and at different times around 19:00. Wind compatibility therefore cannot be assessed. - Duration and disappearance: the 10-minute observation fits a lantern flight. The likely cause of disappearance was the burners going out, possibly gradually. A witness may mistake this fading for entry into cloud, although clouds are generally above the maximum altitude reached by lanterns. It was a weekend evening, a favorable time for such celebrations. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable observation of sky lanterns.