Some Edinburgh residents said strange lights in the sky over the city could be portals to a higher dimension. Pic credit: Pixabay
Residents of multiple towns and cities in Scotland reported strange lights in the skies. The lights sparked speculation on social media, and some suggested they were portals to higher dimensions.
However, meteorologists intervened to curb the spreading online speculation. The experts explained they were a type of cloud known as nacreous, rainbow pearl, or mother of pearl clouds.
“Creepy” lights over Edinburgh
The Sun reported that residents in the Scottish city of Edinburgh and communities as far north as Angus saw the strange lights. The sightings occurred in the afternoon on December 19.
People took to social media to share photos. They also proposed multiple explanations and debated them.
“Strange light/cloud formation in the sky above #edinburgh about 4 p.m. Any ideas?” a concerned resident inquired on Twitter.
“Strange and creepy lights in the sky today,” another worried resident tweeted.
Although some thought they were clouds, others disagreed, saying they did not look like cloud formations.
“W** is this in the sky over my neighbourhood, the Northern Lights aren’t really an Edinburgh thing… are they?” a Twitter user asked. “It’s definitely not cloud.”
“A new hole in the sky opened up!”
Suggestions included ice crystals, aurora borealis, and a “bit of rainbow caught between banks of cloud .”
But the debate soon took a paranormal turn. A Twitter user suggested they were portals in the sky.
“A new hole in the sky opened up!” the user exclaimed.
The Sun reported that a viewer told a BBC weatherman they looked like a “portal to the next dimension.”
Lights were Rainbow pearl or nacreous clouds
However, other social media users explained that they were a meteorological phenomenon commonly called rainbow pearl or nacreous clouds. They form in the sky at altitudes higher than regular clouds.
Space.com noted that some call them “mother of pearl.”
“Rainbow pearl clouds,” one Twitter user explained. “It is a rare event.”
According to the user, nacreous or rainbow pearl clouds usually form in cold weather at stratospheric altitudes. They consist of ice crystals.
The colors appear when they reflect light during the twilight hours (dusk or dawn).