Case file · Sighting
Chennai orange lights
In June 2013 Chennai residents photographed five bright orange specks moving slowly across the night sky.
2013 CE · 13.08, 80.27 · status: disputed
The sceptical view
Orange lights moving together and silently are the classic signature of sky lanterns, which were then spreading at Indian celebrations.
The researched reading
Five orange lights drifting slowly together: sky lanterns.
| Explanation | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Something known, misidentified | 50% | Slow, silent orange points moving together on the wind are the textbook look of sky lanterns, which were spreading at Indian weddings and festivals in 2013. |
| Undetermined | 35% | The share a generic explanation had beyond what has been shown for this case: it fits many cases like this one, but has not been demonstrated for this one. |
| A hoax or fabrication | 5% | Some shared photos may be edited or reused. |
| Perception, memory or mind | 3% | Night lights have no distance cues, so they are easily read as large and far away. |
| A known natural phenomenon | 2% | Planets or stars do not form moving groups of five. |
| A poorly understood natural phenomenon | 2% | Nothing points that way. |
| Genuinely anomalous | 2% | A clear ordinary match exists. |
| Secret human technology | 1% | Not plausible over a city at walking pace. |
Official position: No official investigation.