A mysterious cloud spotted above Trinidad has been dubbed a “volcano in the sky” by baffled onlookers.
Villagers were perplexed by the colourful anomaly that turned the sky an iridescent pinky-purple in the town of Tunapuna.
The weather formation appears to be motionless between the clouds and occasionally disappears.
Footage of the floating hue appeared online as witnesses captured it in awe.
The phenomena has left thousands guessing after the video was posted to a popular conspiracy Reddit forum.
Superstitious internet users have said the mass could be the “beginning of the end of the world” while others branded it “heaven on earth.”
Others said the unusual light looks as though it is a “volcano in the sky.”
One perplexed user said: “This is beautiful… so beautiful.. but so very very frightening.”
While a third simply concluded: “Must be aliens.”
It is not exactly clear what the mass is, but it could be an example of cloud iridescence.
Cloud iridescence is an optical phenomenon used by small water droplets or ice crystals – in close proximity to the sun or moon – scattering light.
Reports of strange-looking clouds are few and far between and last month a strange cloud seen over Mexico was called a “sign on God.”
The skies turned purple across the world in recent times. But I don’t think it was related to the same phenomenon. In any cases, it’s pretty incredible and impressive. [DailyStar]
Great pic Rodney. What you saw was a cumulus congestus rising and meeting a cap cloud, pileus capillatus. The cap cloud (categorized as a lenticular cloud), is in the process of dissipation as it is swallowed by the vertically rising and building cumulus. The circular cloud residue of the cap cloud – still visible – is composed of water vapor in this instance, which scatters and refracts sunlight giving the hue you saw. I note dark low clouds below and evidently the situation presages rain showers in formation. This is a pretty normal occurrence in the tropics but you got the video at a real opportune moment. A view from a horizontal distance away, would look like nothing, and a view from above, say in an airplane, would be devoid of the colors you saw. The sun is just off the zenith leading to the display. I am a retired meteorologist living in Minnesota, but I was Chief Meteorologist in Trinidad, and on national Televison (27 years), and ended my career at the World Meteorological Organization, UN Agency, Geneva, Switzerland.