STRASBOURG (67) 21.02.2021

On Sunday 21 February 2021 at about 12:30 local time, a witness driving along rue des Marais in Strasbourg toward the Robertsau district saw a white point of light fairly high in the northeast sky. It sometimes appeared stationary and sometimes moved slowly. He initially thought of an aircraft light, but nearby additional points led him to doubt that explanation. He continued watching northeast as his vehicle reached Pont Phario. At his destination, he saw the white points again, still fairly high and apparently distant, but now southwest. He took out his phone and recorded a short video at 12:39. Two lights are faintly visible in it. He did not watch their subsequent movements and went home. Greatly surprised, he contacted GEIPAN and completed a questionnaire. Only 1 account was collected. GEIPAN considers the evidential basis good: there was only 1 witness, but the video could be analyzed. The investigation found that he had probably seen a few party balloons. This conclusion rests on their point-like white appearance and movement consistent with wind data: periods of apparent stillness, small movements, and appearances and disappearances caused by gust-induced rotation. The witness's sense of strangeness largely arose because he thought they might be weather balloons but had been told these were launched individually, ruling out that hypothesis in his mind. He did not consider other balloon types. GEIPAN classifies the case A: observation of a few party balloons.