On 13 October 1917 a crowd estimated in the tens of thousands at Fatima reports seeing the sun spin, change color and plunge, as the children had said a sign would come. Secular papers carried the accounts.
Contested history
Consensus: On 13 October 1917 a large crowd at Fatima, reported in Portuguese newspapers, described seeing the sun move, spin and change color.
Many witnesses reported unusual solar phenomenaEstablished
Contemporary reports, including the secular paper O Século, recorded crowd testimony on the day.
The sun moved by a miracleDebated
The Church approved the Fatima apparitions in 1930, but no observatory recorded any change in the sun, which would have been seen worldwide.
The effects came from staring at the sun and expectationMinority view
Scientists and skeptics such as Joe Nickell point to afterimages, eye strain and crowd suggestion, which explain reported colors and movement but not every account.