The Bonilla Observation (1883)
On August 12, 1883, Mexican astronomer José Bonilla, director of the Zacatecas Observatory, observed and photographed more than 300 dark objects crossing the solar disc, each surrounded by a kind of mist. Over a day and a half, he captured 447 photographs of the phenomenon — likely the very first documented photographic attempt at an unidentified aerial phenomenon in history.
Witnesses
1 astronomer
Why it endures
The very first photographed UFO case in history, documented with remarkable scientific rigor for the era: 447 glass-plate photographs.
Official version (contested)
Modern explanation (2011): fragments of a disintegrating comet passing extremely close to Earth. The theory of migrating birds prevailed for a long time before that.