ACHERES (78) 22.06.2025

During the night of 21–22 June 2025, a resident of Achères in Yvelines (78) saw an intense orange glow almost overhead from his terrace. He immediately drew a second person's attention to it, and their reaction underscored its unusual appearance. The light had no clear outline and was completely silent. It moved quickly but at a constant speed on an estimated heading of 300°, then disappeared. GEIPAN finds moderate strangeness and a good amount of reliable, objectively supported information: 2 observers but 1 account, with a photograph and videos. It considers a sky lantern probable. The evidential assessment concerns the quantity of such information collected for an account. The description and appearance fit a sky lantern. The Saturday-to-Sunday night coincided with Fête de la Musique celebrations, and its apparent trajectory exactly matched the local wind. GEIPAN therefore strongly favours this explanation, although the precise release location could not be identified; see the investigation report. The case is classified B: probable observation of a sky lantern.