1561 celestial phenomenon over Nuremberg
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 🛸 Case
Contents 3
| Type | Case |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Nuremberg 1561, Nuremberg broadsheet |
The 1561 celestial phenomenon over Nuremberg is a sky event described in a broadsheet printed in April 1561 by Hans Glaser of Nuremberg, then a Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire. Its woodcut, showing spheres, crosses and tubes apparently fighting in the sky, is often reproduced in books about UFOs. Most scholars think it shows an atmospheric display such as sun dogs, presented as a religious warning.[1]
The broadsheet
According to the text, at dawn on 14 April 1561 many men and women in and around Nuremberg saw a "dreadful apparition" at the sun. It describes blood-red arcs, many black and red balls, crosses and rods, which seemed to fight among themselves, flying into and out of the sun before falling to earth in smoke. The broadsheet treats the event as a sign from God and urges repentance.[1] The original is held in the prints and drawings collection of the Zentralbibliothek Zürich.[1]
Interpretations
The broadsheet became widely known outside Germany after psychologist Carl Jung included it in his 1958 book Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies. Jung thought the event was probably natural and studied its symbolism.[1][2]
Ufologists have cited it as evidence of ancient visits by extraterrestrial craft. Jacques Vallée, however, was sceptical, noting how closely it resembled other 16th-century broadsheets and suggesting it might be a stock religious story.[1]
Historian Ulrich Magin has pointed out problems with treating the woodcut as an accurate picture: it leaves out Nuremberg's castle, the city's most obvious landmark. Magin and others see such broadsheets as religious popular reading, more like tabloid news than eyewitness records.[1] Sun dogs and related halo displays had long been known in Europe, and a similar display was painted over Stockholm in 1535.[1]
References
- 1561 celestial phenomenon over Nuremberg — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- Jason Colavito, "The UFO Battle over Nuremberg" (2012) · jasoncolavito.com · archived copy
This page was last edited on 31 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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