This is the incredible solar halo that has wowed locals after it appeared over the Mexican capital.
The stunning images were taken over the capital of Mexico, Mexico City, and posted to social media by impressed users.
The images show the stunning phenomenon in the sky, with a bright halo of different colours appearing around the sun.
Solar halos are usually found in cold areas as the optical phenomenon is made by sunlight interacting with ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere.
Specialists told reporters the halo was not a “paranormal issue” that are often seen before the arrival of a cold front.
Bernardo Caamal Itza, researcher of Mayan culture, told reporters that the solar halos are believed to be an important reference among Mayan communities to determine how long will the rainy season will last.
He said: “For Mayan grandmothers, these halos were omens of yuuntsiles (gods) whose interpretation is based on the intensity of the colour of the halo frames and could represent more days of sun or rain.”
The ice crystals responsible for halos are typically suspended in cirrus clouds in the upper troposphere.
Light is reflected and refracted by the ice crystals and may split into colours because of dispersion.
The crystals behave like prisms and mirrors, refracting and reflecting light between their faces, sending shafts of light in particular directions.
One netizen described the phenomenon as “spectacular” whilst another wrote “it is a natural phenomenon that gives us this incredible view”.
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