The stunning photo was taken just a few days ago, was shared with the public by the US National Weather Service

Jan 15, 2015 12:25 GMT  ·  By

If you happen to be in the mood to have your mind blown, look no further than this piece of news to accomplish your goal. More so if you count yourself among Mother Nature's many fans.

Not to beat about the bush, it looks like rainbows aren't the only jaw-dropping and positively stunning things that can appear seemingly out of nowhere high up in the skies. Ice halos are pretty impressive too, and the photo accompanying this article proves it.

The photo was snapped earlier this month, on January 9, by a man named Joshua Thomas. It was taken bright and early in the morning and shows arcs and pillars of light towering over the town of Red River in New Mexico.

Not long after it was shared with the public by the US National Weather Service, the photo went viral, and rightfully so. Thus, it has until now been shared tens of thousands of times.

In case anyone was wondering, these light arcs and pillars that Joshua Thomas caught on camera in Red River, New Mexico, just a few days ago formed as a result of the presence of ice crystals in the air.

More precisely, scientists say that these flying ice crystals bent and deformed the light reaching them to such an extent that odd geometrical patterns formed in the air. The shapes appeared even brighter because of the cold weather.