THUIR (66) 01.01.2021

On the night of 31 December 2020–1 January 2021 around 00:10, a witness walking his dog in the street saw a phenomenon resembling a large orange in a partly cloudy sky. It came from the northwest and moved silently southeast. Almost immediately, an identical second object appeared on the same path at the same speed. The witness also saw a third UAP. No sound was heard, and the observation lasted at most 1 minute. GEIPAN finds no strongly unusual feature in the account, apart from the witness's subjective impression, which is always difficult to assess. Evidential quality is somewhat low because the witness did not complete the questionnaire's “Questions” section. Nevertheless, the narrative and accompanying information allow GEIPAN to identify a New Year lantern release with certainty, an explanation the witness had not considered. The 3 extremely bright orange spheres and their trajectory fit lanterns. At least 2 weather stations recorded northwest-to-southeast wind around 5–7 km/h, a speed compatible with a release (see weather document). The source later says “31 December, 00:10, New Year's Eve,” although its opening places the event after midnight into 1 January. Midnight had just struck and the New Year was being celebrated; the witness even mentions fireworks. A nearby lantern release on such an occasion is probable and consistent with the context. The orange spheres' sudden appearance and rapid movement toward the sea surprised the witness. GEIPAN concludes that sky lanterns were misidentified and classifies the case A: sky lanterns.