PLEYBER-CHRIST (29) 10.02.2023

On 12 February 2023, a witness made an informational report to the gendarmerie about an observation on 10 February between 23:16 and 23:21 in Pleyber-Christ (29). He had seen several very bright orange UAPs, much larger than stars. Their intensity then diminished. They moved somewhat erratically and slowly, slightly from right to left and, at times, apparently up and down. The lights drew closer together and sometimes separated, then began flashing “as though they were about to go out” and gradually all went out. He recorded a video. His description and video show orange colour, strong brightness, flashing followed by extinction, and lights moving in a formation whose geometry changed very slowly. These features point very strongly to sky lanterns. The witness himself said he had looked at GEIPAN's website and thought they might be Chinese lanterns; the gendarme who took his statement also considered candle-powered flying Chinese lanterns very highly probable. The witness said the UAPs moved from his right to his left. Given his own direction of travel along the Route de Keravel from Morlaix, their possible directions ranged from northwest-to-southeast to southwest-to-northeast. At 23:00, at about 100 m altitude at the observation site, wind came from 235°, or west-southwest, consistent with their motion. The very low wind speed, 2 km/h, could explain erratic movements sensitive to the slightest local change in direction; see the Earthnull document. GEIPAN classifies the observation A: sky lanterns, agreeing with the gendarmerie's analysis.