Saint-Varent 2009, mysterious light identified as balloon

Summary

On November 10, 2009, a witness in Saint-Varent, France, observed an orange and yellow light moving silently from the southeast to the north. The light was seen for about a minute without any sound. After a gendarmerie investigation, the witness formally identified the object in the photo as a luminous balloon, specifically a Thai lantern. Although it might initially seem unexplained, the final identification resolved the case clearly.