OLONNE-SUR-MER (85) 17.05.2020

On Sunday, May 17, 2020, a witness observed, at 1am and for 10 seconds, an object of very singular appearance, triangular in shape, flying at constant speed with its face parallel to the ground and possessing 3 white luminous points at each of its angles. Its color seemed to blend into or slightly distort the sky behind it. Only one testimony was collected. GEIPAN considers that the witness most likely saw 9 sky lanterns. Day and period are compatible criteria: a Saturday-to-Sunday night in spring is typical and conducive to a release of lanterns in the open air, in the framework of local or private festivities (weddings, christenings...). Similarly, the point shape of each light described by the witness is totally plausible, as the distance of the lanterns prevents the witness from distinguishing their shape. In addition, the weather station of Château d'Olonne, located 8km from the observation site, reports a wind of 8km/h north to the south at the time of the observation. The speed, the direction of the wind are also compatible with a lantern release. The brightness of the points is also compatible with this hypothesis. Indeed, the witness indicates "the brightness of a medium star in the sky", which is quite comparable to that of the apparent lanterns. The white colour of the luminous points is not the most common, but is frequently found in proven cases of lanterns. The absence of noise, the number of luminous points are also compatible with this hypothesis. The strangeness perceived by the witness lies in the observed triangular shape. When an observer sees a set of luminous points, it is common for him to interpret this set of points as a single object bounded by these luminous points. This illusion, called "illusion of form or outline", occurs on independent lights, typical of a lantern release. It can also occur with an airplane when the wings are not visible: the witness then reconstructs a dark solid form bounded by the visible lights. Consequently, the GEIPAN classifies the case in B: likely observation of sky lanterns.