Do Chinese Lanterns Glow White?

Just seen a white ball of light, flying in a slightly erratic manner across the night sky. It was glowing white, and flying below the cloud base. Completely silent. Not an aircraft because no navigation lights visible. No sound either. Too low for a satellite.
It got about half a mile away from where i was standing ,and then just faded out. I assumed it was a Chinese lantern ,but everyone time i have seen one of those, it was glowing a dull orange/yellow.

Any thoughts on what it may have been.

a reply to: alldaylong

They come in many colours , white is one.


How heavy was the cloud base , could it have been the ISS ?

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: alldaylong

They come in many colours , white is one.

How heavy was the cloud base , could it have been the ISS ?

Cloud base was about 3,000 feet.

It was too low for the iSS. Looks like from what you say it was a lantern.

That clears that one up.

Correct me if I'm wrong but at night that lantern should not be glowing white but should be glowing orange?

Here's an example

a reply to: HawkeyeNation

That rather depends on what exact balance of white one is using in the paper, the precise thickness of the paper of which the lantern is made, and so on.

Given that there are huge numbers of companies making sky lanterns, from all over the world, one can assume that there are also a great many different mixes of papers and bleaches being used to construct the skins of any lanterns that are out in the world!

I doubt many people could see a Chinese lantern from a mile away without the aid of binoculars

Are you sure your estimates are correct?

originally posted by: TritonTaranis
I doubt many people could see a Chinese lantern from a mile away without the aid of binoculars

Are you sure your estimates are correct?

I once saw a set of five coming from our local university from three miles away. One landed directly onto the railway tracks right next to us. One seemed to fall to the ground and burn up, while the others just faded out.

originally posted by: TritonTaranis
I doubt many people could see a Chinese lantern from a mile away without the aid of binoculars

Are you sure your estimates are correct?

He did say half a mile but at night you can see very faint lights a lot further than a mile away!

Why Orange? Candle light is white. reply to: HawkeyeNation

A mile ? We can see street light on the Chesapeake bay bridge tunnel from the beach in hampton in Virginia. The bridge is over 15 miles away. It really depends on other light pollution. Most people with a clear view can see a light for many miles. Even a small light. As long as it's dark enough and nothing is in the way. a reply to: TritonTaranis

a reply to: AutumnWitch657

Sorry you're wrong.

Candle light is yellow

www.weather.gov.hk...

Only at the base. Don't you ever use candles? a reply to: alldaylong

Chinese lanterns usually do not turn white they are orange or red and usually are launched in packs of 12 or 24. They drift and or float while never reaching any real elevation.

It is very easy to tell if what you are looking at is a chinese lantern. Look for flickering and drifting.

find the wind direction and see if they are going with the wind.

Yes looks to me like it was a 'Chinese Lantern'

en.wikipedia.org...

'A collapsible paper lantern or sky lantern in bright colours used for decorative purposes, commonly painted with Chinese art and calligraphy motifs.'

originally posted by: AutumnWitch657
Only at the base. Don't you ever use candles? a reply to: alldaylong

Yes, I do use candles in photography. The light is yellow/orange:

planetpixelemporium.com...

The Sky Lantern will rise to 1200 feet maximum. At this altitude the flame will die and the biodegradable lantern will tumble back to earth. So, for what it's worth, keep that in mind next time there is a question.

originally posted by: 300RYA
Chinese lanterns usually do not turn white they are orange or red and usually are launched in packs of 12 or 24. They drift and or float while never reaching any real elevation.

It is very easy to tell if what you are looking at is a chinese lantern. Look for flickering and drifting.

find the wind direction and see if they are going with the wind.

I've got to take exception with some of this. We light them off at our cabin all the time. While they come in packs of 12 or 24 (or more/less, depending on the vendor) they come in all different kinds of colors, including solid colors and multi-colored ones. The colors of the paper do change the color of the light, although not a whole lot sometimes.

The ones we do, plus neighbors, are typically one to maybe 3 at a time, rarely do we do more than that.

Also, often the wind direction changes based on the altitude. Sometimes you let them go and for the first hundred feet they go west (for example) and then head north. Maybe not commonly, but it does happen.

The colour receptors in our eye only work for very bright sources, that is why all the stars appear white with the naked eye, although they are actually red, yellow and blue. So an orange lantern will appear white when it is very far way and the level of light is low

a reply to: alldaylong
The anti orb folk will put this down as something like marsh gas, chinese lanterns etc. It may be but chances are you saw a ufo orb, connected with motherships, basically a living thing