Giant halo appears around Sun above Mexico City

On Thursday, a giant halo appeared around the Sun above Mexico City, bringing tens of thousands of people out in the streets.

The halo is also known as a nimbus, icebow or gloriole, which is produced when light interacts with ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere.

The crystals cause the light to be refracted and reflected. This results in several types of colored or white rings, spots or arcs in the sky.

Many halos appear near or around the Moon or Sun, while others can be seen elsewhere, even in the opposite part of the sky.

The giant corona pictures taken over the city revealed a rainbow-like glow surrounding the Sun. People were convinced that an alien device was making its way to the Earth’s surface to gain control. Some people also sparked talks about the ‘end of the world’.

Although phenomenon is merely an optical illusion and happens regularly, some locals were not convinced. According to experts, the halo was spectacular and was also seen in cities Toluca and Pachuca.

Juan Manuel Caballero, of Mexico's National Weather Service, said, “I have received some 30 phone calls from people who are scared and think that it's a bad omen, others think it means it will rain more than expected”.

Horacero, another Mexican newspaper, quoted a young man saying to friends that it’s a sign that the world was about to end as they stood together looking up at the sky.

Others hit social media prophesized that the mysterious light formation was a message from alien invaders. However, experts said the halo was a particularly good example of the weather event as it could be seen from three different cities.