Wundergesicht der drei Sonnen
Unidentified Artist
Broadside announcement of celestial phenomena
Heidelberg, Germany, 1622
Engraving
WOP-1

Celestial phenomena were often recorded in broadsides such as this one depicting the appearance of several different events over Heidelberg in 1622: on the left are two illustrations of parhelia (the illusion of multiple suns) with rainbows, on the right are a comet and a cross-like apparition. Unusual celestial events were often considered enigmatic and ominous, predicting such things as war, death, plague, and pestilence, and were often perceived as signs from God.

Many broadsides are unidentifiable except for the area and approximate date ascertained from the location and date of the event being described. They were cheaply printed and distributed to the public as a way of disseminating information about portentous and potentially catastrophic events.