Singaporeans heading out for lunch on Wednesday (Sept 8) were treated to an uncommon sight up in the sky.

A viral TikTok video – with more than 750,000 views – by user michelleprsc shows fascinated onlookers at Albert Street peering up in the sky to catch a glimpse of this gorgeous natural phenomenon – known as a sun halo.

These onlookers either had their hands above their eyes to protect from the strong glare of the sun, or pointed their mobile phones at this phenomenon, determined to capture this moment.

@michelleprsc

What happened in Singapore??##nature ##phenomenon ##rainbow ##sun ##sky

♬ Oh No - Kreepa

In the comments, netizens took the sight of a rainbow-circled ring of light as a sign of better (or weirder) things to come.

The sun halo was also visible in other parts of Singapore at around early afternoon, as captured and shared on social media. It lasted for about an hour. 

What is a sun halo? 

According to EarthSky, the gigantic rings around the sun are a result of sunlight refracting millions of hexagonal ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere.

The crystals have to be aligned and placed at an angle to your eyes in order for the halo to appear.

The phenomenon is also known as 22-degree halos – the ring has a radius of about 22 degrees around the sun (or even the moon).

While the Northern Lights rank up there as a spectacular natural wonder in the world, Singapore has its fair share of rare natural occurrences too.

These include unusual tropical weather hailstorms, the fascinating blood moon, and a beautiful waterspout spotted near Marina Bay Sands. 

ALSO READ: World's most bizarre natural phenomena

chingshijie@asiaone.com