The Miracle of the Sun at Fátima
On October 13, 1917, approximately 70,000 people gathered in Portugal to witness a promised miracle. What they saw has never been explained: the sun appeared to 'dance' in the sky, change colors, spin, and plunge toward Earth. Believers call it a miracle. Skeptics have no satisfying alternative.
The Miracle of the Sun remains one of the most witnessed unexplained events in history. On October 13, 1917, tens of thousands of people gathered in a Portuguese field, many skeptical, many faithful, all waiting to see what would happen. What occurred next defied explanation and created one of the 20th century’s most enduring mysteries.
The Children’s Visions
On May 13, 1917, three shepherd children - Lúcia dos Santos (10), Francisco Marto (9), and Jacinta Marto (7) - claimed to have seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary near the town of Fátima, Portugal. The apparition reportedly told them she would appear on the 13th of each month for six months.
The children’s claims spread rapidly. Each month, larger crowds gathered at the Cova da Iria, where the apparitions occurred. The children reported receiving messages and prophecies, including the promise that on October 13, a miracle would occur that would cause all to believe.
The Catholic Church was initially skeptical. Civil authorities were hostile - Portugal had recently established a secular republic, and religious fervor was politically inconvenient. The children were even briefly jailed in an attempt to make them recant.
October 13, 1917
Despite rain, approximately 70,000 people gathered at the site. The crowd included believers, skeptics, journalists, and curious onlookers. Many came specifically to debunk the children’s claims.
After a period of prayer and the children’s apparent communication with the apparition, Lúcia cried out for the crowd to look at the sun.
What happened next was witnessed by thousands:
The Sun “Danced”: The sun appeared to spin on its axis like a wheel, throwing off brilliant colors of light - red, yellow, green, blue, violet.
It Moved: Witnesses reported the sun moving erratically, appearing to zigzag across the sky.
It Plunged: Most terrifyingly, the sun seemed to “fall” toward Earth, growing larger and closer, causing widespread panic. People fell to their knees, believing they were about to die.
It Returned: After several minutes, the sun returned to its normal position.
Drying of Clothes: Though the crowd had been standing in rain and mud, many reported that their clothes were suddenly dry after the phenomenon.
The Witnesses
The event was witnessed by:
- Believers who had come expecting a miracle
- Skeptics who had come to debunk the children
- Journalists from major Portuguese newspapers
- People miles away who had not gathered at the site
Newspaper accounts from the following days described the phenomenon in detail, including from reporters who had been hostile to the claims.
Notably, not everyone present saw the same thing. Some reported the sun changing colors but not moving. Others saw nothing unusual. But the majority of the crowd reported extraordinary phenomena.
Explanations
Religious Miracle: The Catholic Church eventually approved Fátima as worthy of belief, determining the children had genuinely experienced Marian apparitions. The solar miracle is interpreted as divine confirmation.
Mass Hallucination: Skeptics suggest the crowd, primed by expectation and staring at the sun, experienced collective hallucination. However, this doesn’t explain why people miles away also reported phenomena.
Atmospheric Phenomena: Some have proposed natural explanations - stratospheric dust, ice crystals, or other atmospheric conditions that could have affected sunlight. However, no such conditions were documented, and the phenomenon was localized to the Fátima area.
UFO: Some modern researchers have suggested the “sun” was actually a craft of unknown origin that appeared near the real sun. This theory attempts to reconcile the detailed observations with the laws of physics.
Retinal Effects: Staring at the sun can cause retinal damage and visual disturbances. This might explain some reports but not the detailed, consistent observations across thousands of witnesses.
Legacy
The Fátima apparitions became one of the most significant Marian events in Catholic history. The children’s prophecies (the “Three Secrets of Fátima”) have been the subject of intense speculation. Francisco and Jacinta died young in the 1918-1919 flu pandemic; Lúcia lived until 2005 as a Carmelite nun.
The site is now one of the world’s major Catholic pilgrimage destinations, visited by millions annually.
The Miracle of the Sun remains unexplained - a mass-witnessed event that defies both conventional religious interpretation and scientific analysis.