An account in Yvelines, France

On Saturday, September 7, 2013, (between 1:10 PM and 1:40 PM), a motorist driving northeast toward Poissy (78) observed a long white cylinder at 15° above the horizon. He saw this cylinder move away on a straight trajectory and then disappear in the direction of Poissy (78). No other testimony was collected. The Météociel data indicates a southwest wind at Toussus le Noble (southeast of Poissy) and a west wind at Pontoise. One can estimate a SW to W wind at Poissy. The observation is consistent with a cylindrical balloon carried by the wind: the cylindrical shape suggests a hot-air balloon (solar balloon) released from Orgeval or Feucherolles, or even from much farther away, since these balloons can fly for hours. (Note the community fair in Orgeval and in Feucherolles that day). These balloons are often dark gray or transparent; the white color may be the result of a reflection of the sun, almost at its zenith, on the object. GEIPAN classifies this observation as "B," ultimately not very strange, as probably being that of a balloon. The low strangeness of the case does not justify a field investigation, too random in an urban area for this kind of phenomenon.