The Basel Celestial Phenomenon

On August 7, 1566, just five years after the Nuremberg incident, the citizens of Basel, Switzerland witnessed a similar mass aerial phenomenon. Black spheres appeared in the sky, documented in another famous woodcut.

The Event

Witnesses reported large black spheres in the sky moving toward the sun, with the sun appearing red as the event occurred at sunrise and lasted several hours.

The Woodcut

Samuel Coccius created a woodcut showing multiple black spheres with the sun as a central feature, spheres appearing to emerge from or move toward the sun, and citizens observing from below.

Contemporary Account

The report described “many large black balls” moving at “great speed,” appearing to fight near the sun, causing fear among observers, and being interpreted as a divine sign.

Connection to Nuremberg

Similarities between events include that both involved spheres, both featured the sun prominently, both were documented in woodcuts, both caused public alarm, and they occurred within 5 years of each other.

Possible Explanations

Proposed theories include sun dogs or parhelia, ball lightning, migrating birds, volcanic debris, and genuine anomalous phenomena.

Historical Significance

The Basel event corroborates the Nuremberg account, suggests a widespread phenomenon, provides additional documentation, and remains unexplained to this day.

Legacy

Together with the Nuremberg sighting, the Basel phenomenon suggests that mass UFO sightings are not a modern phenomenon but have occurred throughout recorded history.