In January, people in Russia looked up to see an extraterrestrial sight.

Three suns — one large sun between two smaller ones — appeared over the city of Kazan's skyline like golden diamonds in the sky. But they weren't new fiery stars entering our planet's galaxy.

It's a natural phenomenon known as mock suns or sundogs, and the below video of the rare event has since spread around the Internet, confusing and amazing everyone who sees it.

В Питере или вообще нет солнца или сразу три #солнечноегало #гало #солнцамногонебывает #ненуаче #солнечныйянварь #солнцы #небы #sky #sun #3sun #galo #instasky

A photo posted by Анастасия Мамонтова (@mamontovanastya) on

Sundogs occur when sunlight passes through ice crystals that are falling in the Earth's atmosphere, according to NASA.

When light is refracted through those crystals, it reflects the "mock suns" roughly 22 degrees on either side of the real sun, creating the illusion of three flares in the sky.

It's just another one of Mother Nature's trippy optical illusions.

Below, watch the phantom suns give Russia a spectacular show.

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