A video that captured a rare yet mesmerising celestial phenomenon which recently graced the skies of China caught the attention of skygazers around the world, leaving them baffled.
Recently, a woman, named Wang, recorded a video of the sky from a hospital in China’s Chengdu area, which showed more than one sun descending over the country’s horizon.
The video took social media by storm, leaving netizens speechless at the sight of seven suns in the sky. However, the breathtaking spectacle turned out to be an optical illusion produced by the glass window through which the video was filmed.
The video — filmed from the 11th floor of the hospital — revealed the sun duplicated with varying levels of intensity.
Wang said viewers also offered theories about how the phenomenon occurred, the Daily Mail reported citing Jam Press.
“This happened because of a magnetic field glitch that made parallel universes visibly manifest,” one person wrote on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.
Others argued on Reddit that the fragmented suns were a sign of “immense pollution” in China and another person wrote: “The truth about global warming has finally been revealed.”
However, one commenter correctly addressed the mystery behind the video, writing: “This is caused by the reflection/refraction in glass in a multi-pane window. Light from the sun bounces between layers causing the distinct visual separation of the reflections.”
Except for the brightest sun in the centre, which is the real one, the others are part of the optical illusion.
Despite the scientific explanation, some people preferred to believe that the spectacle fell under the story of Hou Yi, who is portrayed as the “god of archery” in Chinese mythology, sent from the Heavens to help humans.
He is said to have stopped 10 suns from burning up the earth with his magic bows and arrows, according to the Daily Mail. The 10th sun begged for its life and agreed to separate the day from the night as punishment for attempting to burn up the earth.