The heavens smile down on Pope Francis: Dozens of 'rainbows' appear above New York as huge crowds flock to see the Pontiff

The heavens smile down on Pope Francis: Dozens of 'rainbows' appear above New York as huge crowds flock to see the Pontiff

The 'rainbows' (left and right) are actually circumzenthial arcs, and form when light refracts through ice crystals found in thin clouds, meaning they formed in the sky over New York today despite there being no rain. The halos of color were spotted by around 80,000 people waiting near Central Park and Madison Square Garden as Francis traveled through this afternoon (inset) before giving Mass. People took to Twitter to post the images, alongside the hashtag 'blessed'.