By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

Conspiracy theorists, prophecy mavens, and others who are regularly intrigued by unusual phenomena have had a field day recently with striking images over China that make it appear as though there is a “floating city” in the skies. Thousands of residents of the Guangdong province reported seeing the city floating above Foshan, and, a few days later, residents of Jiangxi reported seeing the same thing.

As you might expect, theories have emerged that attribute the “floating city” to everything from a secret NASA project, to proof of a parallel universe, to the onset of the rapture. As usual, however, whenever strange events in the atmosphere like this occur, weather experts are typically quick to chime in to explain them away. In this case, the image is being attributed to a “Fata Morgana,” which is a unique type of mirage that appears right above the horizon.