Triple sunrise seen in Russia due to amazing optical illusion caused by tiny snow crystals

Residents in Russian city of Chelyabinsk awoke to stunning optical illusion
Tiny ice crystals in the air made it looks as though there were three suns
Crystals were formed when temperatures in the city plummeted to -25C
The eerie optical illusion is known as a 'snowdog' or a 'phantom sun'

A triple sunrise has been spotted in a remote Russian city after the presence of tiny ice crystals in the air led to a stunning optical illusion.
Citizens in Chelyabinsk, 80 miles from the country's border with Kazakhstan, awoke yesterday morning to what appeared to be three separate suns on the horizon.
The incredible halo effect - known as a 'sundog' or 'phantom sun' - was actually caused by small pockets of ice suspended in the air, which were themselves created when temperatures plunged below -25C.
The crystals are so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye, but they have the effect of refracting the sunlight and making it look like three brightly burning suns.

[link to www.dailymail.co.uk]