An account in Haute-Marne, France

On August 17, 2016 at 5:45 a.m., a witness on his terrace is intrigued by an orange luminous phenomenon due West in a field at ground level. He observes, with the naked eye then with binoculars, a large motionless orange luminous shape accompanied by three small aligned luminous balls that seem to rotate around the large glow. The witness estimates the phenomenon at a distance of 2 km. The observation lasts 2 to 3 minutes: the witness leaves to get his camera and upon his return notes the disappearance of the phenomenon. Only one testimony is collected. This observation from Peigney (52) of a phenomenon on the ground at 5:45 a.m., on a hill located 2 km away (town of Langres (52)) is not very strange insofar as it could be agricultural machinery, or even a simple vehicle (since one is on or near a path) with people moving around the vehicle with torches (rotation effect of lights perceived by the witness). In the official report the witness reports the same kind of observation made on June 4, 2012 around 3 a.m.: observation of glows on the ground moving around a central glow described initially as a flame, on the same hill (a few dozen meters apart), specifying this time that there is a church there that can host scouts. This therefore constitutes another hypothesis for the observation of August 17, 2016. Consequently, GEIPAN classifies the case as B: probable ground lights coming from a vehicle or a campfire and people equipped with flashlights or torches.