MONTPELLIER (34) 29.06.2019

On 29 June 2019 at 20:45, a witness on a balcony saw a very bright object crossing the sky. It appeared to change shape and/or orientation, with points of light visible at times, before nearby surroundings blocked the view. The witness considered several explanations but remained doubtful. Only 1 account was collected. The case has moderate strangeness and substantiation: a single witness and a poor-quality, unusable UAP video. It is probably a novelty Mylar balloon. GEIPAN defines substantiation as the amount of reliable, objectively established information collected for an account. Initial descriptions suggested a bird, drone or balloon; a balloon best fits the details (see investigation report): - A novelty balloon shaped like a character, logo or similar design, perhaps partly deflated, can change appearance as the wind turns it. - A chrome-like color fits its highly reflective surface. The reported “lights” can be patches momentarily optimally oriented toward the Sun. However, actual sunlight on the balloon cannot be confirmed because the Sun was very low on the horizon. - The straight south–north path matches a passive object drifting with the wind in that direction. Light wind explains the relatively long observation. The witness continued to experience considerable strangeness during and after the event despite trying to connect it with known phenomena. The investigation favors a metallic novelty balloon, but its release source was not found. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable observation of a novelty Mylar balloon.