Was the 'first photographed UFO' a massive comet that nearly hit the earth in 1883 with the same force as that which wiped out the dinosaurs?

When this photograph was taken in 1883 it was heralded as the first photographic evidence of UFOs.

But now scientists believe it could be a massive comet that came close to hitting the earth with the same force as that which killed the dinosaurs.

Mexican astronomer José Banilla took the image, which appears to show something passing in front of the moon, on August 12 1883.

When it was released publicly in 1885 in the magazine L'Astronomie it was dubbed the first photo of a UFO.

A new study by the Univeridad Nacional Autónoma de México now suggests that it was a comet in the process of breaking up.