BREZOLLES (28) 27.05.2023

On 27 May 2023 around 08:15, a witness at home in Brézolles (28) saw a light point to the left of the Sun. It apparently moved north to south, progressively toward his right. After a brief stop it resumed the same rightward path and disappeared. The case has moderate evidential strength*. Although complete azimuth, elevation and apparent-size data were collected, it rests on one account without photographs or video. *Under GEIPAN's criteria, evidential strength is the amount of information collected for an account that is considered reliable and objectively substantiated. CAPCODA's reconstructed air traffic showed only usual high-altitude commercial activity. The investigation found that a balloon was very probably responsible (see investigation report). A round, gray, metallic-looking object briefly reflecting sunlight matches a windborne balloon. Its path fits modeled winds below 250 m in the high-resolution AROME weather data. Calculated distance, size and speed also fit a party balloon. The abrupt stop, the main unusual feature, could result from brief local wind-speed variations at altitude, potentially unresolved even in Météo-France's high-resolution models. The witness's speed estimate assumed an aircraft higher than a balloon, but analysis shows the apparent speed also fits a windborne object at the altitudes considered. GEIPAN classifies the case A: observation of a Mylar party balloon. AROME, Application of Research to Operations at MEsoscale, is a French forecasting model with a fine 1.3 km grid. CAPCODA is the French Air and Space Force's Air Operations and Air Defense Planning and Control Center.