Miracle of the Sun at Fatima
70,000 people witnessed the sun 'dance,' change colors, and appear to plunge toward Earth. Interpreted as religious miracle, some researchers suggest UFO connection.
The Miracle of the Sun at Fatima
One of the largest mass witness events in history: 70,000 people saw something impossible happen in the sky. Was it divine miracle or something else?
The Background
In 1917, three Portuguese shepherd children reported visions. Lúcia Santos (10) and her cousins Francisco (9) and Jacinta Marto (7) said a “Lady” appeared to them monthly beginning in May. She promised a miracle on October 13. Word spread and crowds grew at each apparition.
October 13, 1917
Despite pouring rain, an estimated 70,000 people gathered. The crowd included believers, skeptics, journalists, and scientists. Many had traveled great distances and were soaked from hours of rain.
At noon (1:30 PM solar time), Lúcia called out to look at the sun.
What They Saw
Witnesses reported extraordinary phenomena. The rain suddenly stopped and the clouds parted, revealing the sun. It appeared as a silver disc that began to “dance” in the sky. It spun and threw off colored lights. Colors bathed the crowd in red, orange, yellow, and blue. The sun appeared to plunge toward Earth. People screamed, believing it was the end. Then it returned to normal position. Witnesses’ wet clothes were suddenly dry.
Even anti-religious, secular newspapers reported the phenomenon. O Século, a secular newspaper, wrote: “The sun trembled, the sun made sudden incredible movements outside all cosmic laws—the sun ‘danced’ according to the typical expression of the people.”
The UFO Theory
Some researchers note interesting parallels. The description matches a disc-shaped craft. “Spinning” and “falling” could describe an approaching object. The “heat” that dried clothes could be from propulsion systems. The “silver disc” is more technological than solar in description.
UFO researcher Jacques Vallée argued that the sun didn’t actually move (it would have been seen worldwide). Something between the crowd and the sun created the effect. The phenomenon was localized and behaved more like a craft than a star.
Religious Interpretation
The Catholic Church declared the apparitions “worthy of belief” in 1930. The children’s prophecies about WWI and Russia were verified. The “Miracle of the Sun” confirmed divine intervention. Fatima is now a major pilgrimage site.
Skeptical Explanations
Proposed explanations include mass hallucination, atmospheric phenomena, sun dogs or sundogs, and crowd psychology. None fully explain the mass, consistent witness accounts.
Whatever occurred at Fatima, 70,000 people saw something impossible—and their accounts remain consistent.