PONTARLIER (25) 02.12.2019

On 2 December 2019 between 18:40 and 18:50, the main witness, walking on a pavement, saw a round multicoloured sphere, fiery red outside, sparkling yellow within and a dark-grey oval at its centre, moving “not very high in the sky and appearing from nowhere.” A second and third followed, with eight in total emerging from the same point. She did not see them approach from afar; they appeared and continued along their paths. The last paused for 15–20 seconds before resuming. At home she called a friend, who put her in contact with T2, present at the same time. T2 reported four “red circles,” one pausing before following the same direction as T1’s objects. Only one technical questionnaire was completed (see investigation report). GEIPAN’s sky-lantern explanation is supported by the round shape; red/orange colours common to lanterns, with grey corresponding to an upper rice-paper envelope poorly illuminated by the flame; silent passage; groups commonly numbering three or more; and movement with the wind below 9 km/h. The source associates that speed with a distance under 150 m in T1’s observation, phrased as a distance “between the lanterns of T1,” and says this short distance explains her detailed description. It also gives a 2-minute observation as compatible with a maximum lantern lifetime of about 20 minutes. Wind varying from 0 to 9 km/h could explain the pause of a lantern slightly apart from the others, temporarily in stiller air. T1’s fairly precise perceived path parallel to Rue de Salins was an apparent rather than actual trajectory; it helped establish wind-driven movement from her left to right. Classification A: a group of sky lanterns.