[Regnum] A rare optical phenomenon known as a "false sun" may occur in the skies over the Moscow region amid abnormally cold weather. This was reported on January 30 by Tatyana Pozdnyakova, a leading specialist at the Meteonovosti news agency.
She explained that the effect is linked to special atmospheric conditions that form during periods of severe cold.
"This optical phenomenon occurs when very cold air and high atmospheric humidity prevail over a region. Small ice crystals form, and sunlight is refracted through them. Double or triple images of the sun may appear at sunrise or sunset," Pozdnyakova told the Moscow City News Agency.
The forecaster added that such phenomena are most likely not in Moscow itself, but in the Moscow region and surrounding areas, where the peak of the cold is expected.
Earlier, Alexander Shuvalov, head of the Meteo forecasting center, warned residents of Moscow and the Moscow region about minus-20 degrees Celsius (-48 degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures from January 31 to February 1. He predicted that January 2026 would be among the top five coldest months in the capital since the beginning of the 21st century.
In early January, residents of the Leningrad Region observed light pillars —an effect that also occurs during severe frosts and high humidity due to the refraction of light in ice crystals. Such phenomena are typical of the Arctic zone and are considered rare in the European part of the country.