1561 Nuremberg celestial phenomenon

Record summary

What happened A broadsheet by Hans Glaser described many spheres, crosses, rods and other forms appearing near the rising Sun, seeming to fight before falling in smoke; a large dark spear-like form followed. The woodcut has become a staple of ancient-UFO literature. Contemporary readers would also have understood it as a moral and religious warning in a culture of illustrated prodigy sheets. Evidence A dated contemporary broadsheet survives with text and woodcut imagery. Explanations considered Sun dogs, halo complexes, atmospheric optics and symbolic broadsheet composition are leading explanations. What remains uncertain The image is an illustration, not a photograph, and the text does not provide independent observer statements or measurements. Primary source 1561 Nuremberg celestial phenomenon — Wikipedia