Historical UFOs Over Europe: 1560 Sky Battle and Vanishing Star

A Wondrous Apparition Seen on the 28th of December in the Year 1560 in the City of Nuremberg and Surrounding Areas

Artistic depiction of the mysterious celestial battle witnessed over Nuremberg on December 28, 1560

On the evening of December 28th, 1560, at eight o'clock, a dreadful miraculous sign was seen in the sky, appearing in the following manner:

At first, the sky was calm and peaceful, but then a cruel, miraculous face appeared — something resembling a tremendous, snow-white bulge or a vast, clear space between the clouds. Within this space, beautiful, white, and mighty streaks stretched across like stripes.

In addition to the larger streaks, smaller ones also appeared. Both sets soon stood opposite each other, as if two mighty armies were preparing for battle. The smaller ones always had to give way to the larger ones, positioning themselves beneath them as though defeated, yet they continued to fight.

While both 'armies' battled mightily in this way, a beautiful, bright star suddenly appeared. However, after a short while, it seemed as if it no longer wished to shine, grew dim, and then vanished suddenly.

The entire spectacle lasted until the third hour of the night (approximately 3 a.m.), when the bulge and the streaks drew together into a circle and, as if falling into a hole or escaping through some unknown opening, disappeared rapidly. Afterward, the sky returned to its beautiful, calm state.

Translated from the original medieval German and Latin by Matus Taratuta ©

The Historical Context Surrounding the Alleged UFO Sighting

Reports of “wondrous signs” in the sky—often interpreted as battles between heavenly forces—were common in pamphlets of the time. This specific sighting in Nuremberg, later echoed by similar reports of the famous  1561 celestial phenomenon over Nuremberg, would eventually feed into modern UFO lore. 

Our Evaluation of the Alleged UFO Sighting

The Nuremberg sky event of December 28, 1560, stands out as one of the more vividly detailed accounts of a possible unidentified aerial phenomenon in early modern Europe. 

Descriptions of massive, luminous streaks clashing like armies in the sky, followed by the sudden appearance and disappearance of a radiant star, and a strange circular formation that eventually disappeared into the night, evades simple scientific explanations. 

While some theories suggest atmospheric phenomena like auroras or meteor activity, the coordinated, battle-like formations and the duration of the event — lasting into the early morning hours — make this sighting particularly difficult to dismiss outright. 

When we look at this account alongside similar reports from the same era, it becomes clear that people throughout history have looked to the skies with wonder, often witnessing things they couldn’t fully explain

Though the aurora borealis or  a meteor shower remains the most probable explanation, we cannot entirely dismiss the possibility of a more mysterious forces behind this remarkable event from 1560.

References:

Ein wunderbarlich Gesicht/ so am xxviij. Decembris/ im LX. Jar/ inn der Statt Nůrnberg vnd ausserhalb/ ist gesehen worden. [Nürnberg?] : [Georg Kreydlein?], [1561]. Zentralbibliothek Zürich, PAS II 10/25, https://doi.org/10.7891/e-manuscripta-91899