Imagine looking up at the night sky and seeing not one, but four moons! That’s exactly what stunned residents of St. Petersburg, Russia, witnessed on Sunday. The rare celestial event sparked widespread confusion and curiosity on social media, with many wondering if the world was about to change.What is paraselene?The phenomenon, known as paraselene or “moon dogs,” is an optical illusion caused by moonlight refracting through ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. These crystals act like tiny prisms, bending light and creating the illusion of multiple moons around the real one. According to NASA, paraselenae are usually seen at an angle of 22 degrees or more from the Moon and are fainter than the bright lunar disk.Four moons appear over Russia’s St. PetersburgThe spectacle, known as a paraselene, was created by moonlight bending through ice crystals in the frosty atmosphere pic.twitter.com/J5C5h4uDx8— RT (@RT_com) February 1, 2026@nexta_tv/XThe event was likely triggered by the region’s intense winter weather, with temperatures plummeting below -20°C, creating perfect conditions for ice crystals to form in the atmosphere. While some speculated it could be a train of Starlink satellites, experts confirmed it was indeed a paraselene phenomenon.@nexta_tv/X