The Nuremberg Sky Battle
At sunrise one spring day, the people of Nuremberg saw the sky fill with spheres, crosses and tubes that seemed to battle.
What was reported
A broadsheet printed in Nuremberg in 1561 by Hans Glaser describes how, at dawn on 14 April, many people saw a 'frightful' sight in the sky: red, blue and black spheres, crosses and long tubes, which seemed to fight one another for about an hour before falling to earth in smoke.
A woodcut on the broadsheet shows the scene, with the sun overhead. It is now a well-known image in UFO books.
Explanations offered
Many scientists think the townspeople saw a sun halo display, where ice crystals high in the air create rings, bright spots and arcs around the sun, which they described in the religious language of the time. Some UFO writers think it records a real aerial event.
- When
- 14 April 1561
- Where
- Nuremberg, Germany
- Witnesses
- Townspeople, as recorded in a printed broadsheet
- Status
- Mostly explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.