'Floating city' appears in sky over China

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FOSHAN, China — Real or Photoshopped? Cloud formations in China in early October appeared to show floating cities in the sky.

A video uploaded to YouTube shows what appears to be tall, dark buildings rising out of a cloud in the sky over the Chinese city of Foshan, reported first by the Independent. The YouTube video has been viewed over 4.5 million times.

A similar floating city was seen over Jiangxi, China a few days later, according to Gizmodo. Multiple experts state while the cities looks real, it's a result of a common optical illusion called Fata Morgana. This happens when rays of light are bent while passing through air layers with different temperatures during a thermal inversion, which then forms a superior mirage, Science Alert reported.

> Thousands of people in China claim they have seen a 'floating city' in the sky.Residents of Jiangxi and Foshan were... > > Posted by [People's Daily, China](https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesDaily) on [Saturday, October 17, 2015](https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesDaily/posts/1026212237430593)

Since the two floating city images are so similar, some theorize that they are just a result of Photoshop.

Fata Morganas have shown illusions such as floating castles and twisted mountains. Earlier this year, a Fata Morgana appeared to show a floating boat over Lake Superior.

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