An unusual, halo-shaped cloud formation reminiscent of special effects from the movie, Independence Day, appeared over Moscow last Wednesday, captivating local citizens and leading to all manner of speculation. Was it alien mothership? A weather weapon? A sign of the apocalypse?
Alas, meteorologists determined that the halo was nothing more than an optical illusion created by an intrusion of Arctic air.
“It’s a purely optical effect, even if a spectacular one. You can see really strange things if you watch the clouds regularly,” said a spokesperson from Moscow’s weather service.
“Several air fronts have passed Moscow recently, including an inflow of cold air from Arctic, and they combined to produce such a phenomenon.
‘If you look closer, you can see sun rays coming through that cloud. Most likely, the sun was setting when the video was being made.
“‘This is purely an optical effect, although it does look impressive.”
Isn’t that what they always say 
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Someone alert the Moscow weather bureau… the official explanation is supposed to be “weather balloon.”