A spooky piece of footage from China shows what appears to be a 'cloud palace' floating in the sky over a city. According to a local media report, the eerie scene was spotted last month by people living in the community of Haikou. Residents who happened to look up at the sky noticed that a dark cloud had taken on a rather puzzling form which seemed to resemble a palatial estate that sported pillars and a roof. Video of the astounding sight soon popped up on social media in the country and, as so often happens, quickly went viral shortly thereafter.

Some imaginative observers theorized that perhaps the 'cloud palace' could be a glimpse into another dimension or, failing that, a clandestine military experiment aimed at creating astonishing images in the sky. However, the most likely explanation for the anomaly is that it was merely a mirage akin to similar incidents wherein cloud castles and cities have been seen floating over locations in China. While it's uncertain exactly what might have caused this particular optical illusion, it could be a case of Fata Morgana, where temperature inversions create the precise conditions to partially reflect a nearby object in the clouds.