SARTROUVILLE (78) 07.03.2022

On 7 March 2022 at 20:43, 2 witnesses in Sartrouville (78) saw a very bright red point move silently in a straight line through the night sky and disappear behind a building. One filmed it on a phone. Only 1 account was collected. The description and video suggest a sky lantern, also called a flying or Chinese lantern. GEIPAN cites its rounded appearance, red color and trajectory matching the wind. The witness described east-to-west travel; the Argenteuil weather station, 4 km from the observation site, recorded a wind direction of 78°; see the weather document. The sighting was on a Monday evening, less typical for lantern releases than a weekend. GEIPAN notes that wider availability of these party items makes the day and occasion less restrictive. Despite the weekday, it finds the evidence strongly supportive. GEIPAN classifies the case as A: very probable observation of a sky lantern.