Mysterious light over Oleron island

Summary

On January 1, 2010, at 20:10, several witnesses on the island of Oleron observed a luminous phenomenon in the sky. The gendarmerie received eight testimonies, but only six seem to refer to the same event. Two of them, possibly, correspond to a lantern seen from the mainland. A man admitted to having launched a traditional wish balloon, commonly used in celebrations in the Netherlands, between 20:00 and 20:15. Although considered a plausible explanation, the main observation remains unresolved. The GEIPAN classified the case as A, suggesting a non-conventional explanation cannot be ruled out.