VILLENEUVE-SUR-LOT (47) 21.12.2018

On 21 December 2018 between 18:55 and 19:00, a motorist in Villeneuve-sur-Lot (47) was surprised by 5 or 6 luminous objects moving silently across the night sky. She drew one UAP she had seen briefly and added an image and a newspaper article about the phenomenon to her questionnaire. Only 1 account was collected. GEIPAN finds most details consistent with a group of sky lanterns: reddish colour and similarly coloured halos around each; spherical shapes; 5 or 6 objects, with lanterns often released in groups; silence; an observation duration given in the analysis as 10 minutes, compatible with lantern lifetimes of up to about 20 minutes; and west-to-east travel with the prevailing wind at or near ground level. The source's 10-minute duration differs from its initial 18:55–19:00 window. A local newspaper article reports a lantern release at the observation time in tribute to a spokesperson for the local Yellow Vests movement who had died the previous day; see the article “Insolite : qui a vu les ovnis au-dessus de Villeneuve-sur-Lot ?”. The only anomaly was a tube or neon-like element joining the balls in pairs, perhaps an LED light cord. The case is classified B: very probable observation of sky lanterns.