Oval white shape over Var identified as a probable balloon

Summary

On 18 September 2007, a driver in the Var region spotted a luminous object in the sky and called her husband, who also saw it. Both described a large oval white shape moving quickly. The gendarmerie investigated but found no fallen object in the area. Investigators concluded the object's behaviour was consistent with a balloon carried by the Mistral wind, possibly a scientific balloon launched from the Observatoire de Haute Provence, though this was not officially verified. The case was classified as B.