Red light in the sky over Limoux

Summary

On the night of July 23, 2011, several witnesses in Limoux (France) observed a series of red balls in the sky from their terraces. These appeared every few minutes, moving silently under the clouds. In total, seven balls were seen. No other testimonies or immediate explanations were recorded, which sparked some curiosity. However, investigators from GEIPAN concluded that these were likely Thai lanterns. The date, the time (late Saturday evening), and the wind direction from west to east suggested that the lanterns had been launched near the city and carried toward the observers. Moreover, although the clouds came from the east, this did not contradict the hypothesis if the clouds were high altitude, as the wind at ground level could have been moving in a different direction.