Valdoie 2015, A Light on Christmas Eve

Summary

On Christmas Eve 2015, a witness in Valdoie (France) observed a very bright orange glow silently crossing the sky from east to west. The light narrowed into a point and then disappeared. The GEIPAN, responsible for investigating unidentified aerial phenomena, concluded it was likely a lantern. The features described — color, wind-driven movement, silence, and disappearance by extinction — matched those of such objects. Additionally, the witness's account had a contradiction: initially stating the glow moved east to west, but later describing the opposite trajectory. By analyzing the moon's position and weather data, investigators confirmed the object moved west to east, as a lantern would with the wind. Christmas Eve is a common time for such festive displays, reinforcing the hypothesis. The case was classified as "B," meaning likely explained.