Bonilla observation

One of the photographs from the Bonilla observation.

The Bonilla observation was an astronomical event in 1883 in which hundreds of unidentified flying objects were observed and photographed by Mexican astronomer José Bonilla.[1]

The photographs taken during the Bonilla observation are generally regarded as one of the first known examples of photographs of "unidentified flying objects".[2] Though the objects were assumed to be flocks of high-flying geese, astronomers have suggested more recently that Bonilla was observing a nearby comet breaking apart.[3][4]

  1. ^ "Billion-Ton Comet May Have Missed Earth by a Few Hundred Kilometers in 1883". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  2. ^ Voisey, Jon (2011-10-14). "Was the "First Photographed UFO" a Comet?". Universe Today. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  3. ^ Baker, Robert A. (May 1992). Missing Pieces. Prometheus Books. ISBN 9781615924141.
  4. ^ Yirka, Bob (Oct 19, 2011). "Mexican astronomers suggest Bonilla sighting might have been a very close comet breaking up". phys.org.