'Three suns' rise over meteorite-battered Russian city
The halo effect can occur several times over winter, a local meteorologist said. Supplied
Residents in a western Russian city have witnessed an optical illusion that created the appearance of a triple sunrise.
Three suns appeared to rise over the horizon at dawn in Chelyabinsk, thanks to ice crystals in the air that refract sunlight, a local meteorologist said.
Galina Sheporenko, the Sverdlovsk region's chief weather forecaster, said the tiny crystals were the product of an especially cold morning, with temperatures dipping to around -25C, according to a report by state news agency Tass that was cited by BBC News.
Photos of the event were widely shared on social media.
Chelyabinsk was made famous two years ago when a 20m-wide, 2000-tonne meteorite exploded over the city, shattering windows across the area and injuring more than 1200 people, The Guardian reports.
The origin of the space rock still puzzles scientists.
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