Russia witnessed ‘four moons’ over St. Petersburg in an unusual sky display, leaving stargazers speechless | Watch

The city’s normal winter chill had eyes glued with people whispering about the eerie glow, terrifying yet somehow unbelievable alignment of bright spots surrounding the actual Moon. The Russian city of St. Petersburg apparently responded to a strange sighting in the sky on social media by saying, "It wasn't a glitch." A sky with ‘four Moons’ which viewers seemed lucky enough to gaze up and snap the sight with their phones. Sounds unbelievable, but it was a rare weather phenomena called a paraselene or ‘Mock Moon'.A paraselene, experts say, is caused by moonlight refracting through tiny ice crystals in the high cirrus clouds. The crystals are thin, plate-shaped, hexagonal, and floating far above the Earth. When the moonlight hits just right, it bends, creating bright spots on either side of the Moon. These are the “mock moons” or paraselenae.It seems like a simple trick of light, but it’s not. The angles have to be precise. NASA notes that these extra moons appear about 22 degrees or more away from the actual Moon. Usually, they are faint, especially compared to the bright lunar disk. So catching them requires good timing, clear skies, and a bit of luck.This particular display reportedly appeared because the ice crystals were wobbling slightly, giving the vertical extent of the paraselenae. Bigger crystals make taller mock moons. People watching the sky could see two on each side, creating the eerie impression of ‘four moons’ floating above the horizon.Photos showed ghostly images with the Moon at the centre and the two bright spots on either side, mirroring each other. “It looks like something out of a dream,” one observer reportedly wrote. Others commented that the sight was both beautiful and slightly unsettling. It’s the kind of rare occurrence that makes people stop in their tracks, even for a few moments.