Stunned onlookers in Chifeng in the Inner Mongolia region in China’s North have captured on video what appears as 3 Suns rising in the sky.
The very rare phenomenon is created the same way that a rainbow forms in the sky – the sun’s rays are refracted and reflected through through water particles in the atmosphere.
The naturally occurring phenomenon is known as the ‘phantom sun’, also known as an ‘ice halo’, is only able to form in certain specific conditions and when the sun is viewed at a certain angle from Earth. It also requires a presence of ice crystals in cirrostratus clouds which sit in the troposphere above Earth, the area ranging between 5 – 10km into the atmosphere.
In previous times before Meteorology was developed as a mainstream science, the phenomenon used to be used as an indicator that rain was on the way.
Check out the article with pictures and video of the incredible event here at NineMSN.
