Luminous Object in Sky Resembles Television Tower
The photo of the unusual phenomenon was taken on January 24 by a St. Petersburg resident named Lena on Moskovsky Prospekt near the Frunzenskaya metro station. The image captures a whitish silhouette very similar to the outline of the television tower located on the Petrograd Side.
Most likely, the observed phenomenon is an upper mirage. It occurs when the layer of air near the Earth«s surface is colder than the layers above. The air layer between them begins to act as a mirror, reflecting objects that may be far beyond the horizon. Such mirages are typical for the Arctic, but are periodically recorded in temperate latitudes, including the Leningrad Region, where they have been seen over the waters of the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga.
Tall structures in St. Petersburg often cause curious optical effects. For example, in the winter of 2018, the shadow of the television tower clearly appeared on a cloud. The city«s chief meteorologist, Alexander Kolesov, explained at the time that the phenomenon was possible due to a low cloud enveloping the structure: the shadow »lay« on the ice crystals formed in that cloud.
- In April 2025, St. Petersburg residents observed the shadow of the Lakhta Center skyscraper on clouds.
- In March 2023, a photographer captured the shadow of the same building on a clear, cloudless sky.
- Moreover, the Lakhta Center is capable of generating clouds, including those of a peculiar spiral shape.
