Luminous balls and advertising searchlights in Hulluch

Summary

On the evening of 28 June 1988, a couple in Hulluch saw luminous balls appear from 10:20 p.m. onward, moving quickly and silently in complex aerial patterns. The main witness later described a large ogive-shaped object emitting intermittent white beams. The case was initially classified D.

Years later, GEIPAN reviewed it with modern tools and concluded the phenomenon was most likely advertising searchlights reflected off clouds. The described movements, colours and behaviours matched the capabilities of such devices, and the overcast sky that night would have facilitated the reflections. The classification was changed from D to B.