Pilot witness in Paris, France

In the night from Saturday to Sunday, May 17, 2015, at 12:45 a.m., a witness closing a window is surprised to observe 5 or 6 colored balls of light passing silently through the clear sky. These lights seem to outline a dark craft. The observation lasts a very short time and the lights went out abruptly. The witness describes a "gray and metallic" craft equipped with "6 large colored balls of light." If one admits that the witness may have been a victim of the classic shape illusion (see the article on the psychology of form), it is possible that only the glowing balls are real, but not the gray craft. The observation of glowing balls crossing the sky in a straight line, on a weekend night, then suggests Thai lanterns, probably released nearby at the end of a private party. The disappearance of the balls may correspond to their going out, or their passing behind a building. Since the observation is very short, and the witness does not describe the directions of movement, it is not possible to verify whether the movement is consistent with the wind. It would be surprising if it were a drone, very difficult to pilot at night without risk in an urban environment; moreover, drones tend to have non-linear trajectories. GEIPAN did not receive any other testimony that could correspond to this same phenomenon. GEIPAN classifies this case as "C" due to lack of precise information and cross-checking.