Historical UFO Encounter (1577): Flying Hats and Soldiers in the Clouds

Were “Flying Hats” Really Seen Above 16th-Century Europe?

A very strange and miraculous face in the sky was seen on December 5th, 1577, in the small town of Altorf and the surrounding area. The sun did not rise clearly, as usual, but appeared dark yellow and cloudy. It looked roughly like a full moon, and its shape and features could be seen quite well without blinding the eyes.

This 16th-century report describes “flying hats” visible in the sky

Immediately afterward, it darkened so much that it seemed as if there had been a solar eclipse, and it became red like blood, making it impossible to recognize.

Not long afterward, two suns were seen instead of one—one red and the other yellow—which appeared to crash into one another, as if one were trying to devour the other. This lasted only a short while before the red sun disappeared. Meanwhile, the yellow sun stopped in its motion, but that was not the end of it.

Next, a rather large cloud appeared that looked like a ball. It flew directly toward the sun and covered it in the middle, leaving only a yellow border visible all around. Soon afterward, another cloud, longer in shape, shot up into the sky and also approached the sun. It seemed to fight with the previous cloud, covering it several times before finally disappearing, after which the sun stood yellowish in the sky once again.

Finally, a third cloud came from the west. It was elongated and stopped near the sun. From this cloud emerged a great multitude of soldiers dressed in black, many on horseback and many on foot. They entered into battle and moved toward the sun, followed by a great man dressed in black who towered above them all.

After this, the sun became a little brighter, but this did not last long, for it soon turned red again, like blood, and heaven and earth were painted in this unnatural color. Bloody clouds also came into view and moved in great numbers toward the sun. Many black clouds surrounded the sun as the bloody clouds flew closer and closer toward it. From these clouds, one soon saw objects resembling large hats coming and going, and before long the entire sky seemed covered with them. These hats were of various colors—red, blue, green, and black.

In the end, the clouds subsided, and it appeared as though blood were raining from the sky. This continued for a long time, and the sun struggled greatly before finally returning to its normal shape and clarity.

Our Evaluation of the Alleged UFO Sighting

One of the most striking details is the description of objects resembling “flying hats” that appeared in large numbers and moved across the sky in various colors. To modern readers, this can evoke a comparison with the classic “flying saucer” shape associated with many UFO sightings in the 20th century.