The Sun – These incredible images appear to show giant devil horns rising over the Persian Gulf during a solar eclipse. A photographer waited in just the right place to snap the rare spectacle as the sun was partially blocked by the moon at dawn. Elias Chasiotis had planned on capturing the solar eclipse on December 26 while on holiday in Al Wakrah, Qatar.

And he knew because it came at sunrise he had a chance to capture an even rare phenomenon – a solar eclipse combined with the light-bending mirage effects seen near the surface of the ocean. He told BoredPanda: “I hoped that optical effects like inferior mirage would be visible and I was lucky enough to capture them.”

This type of mirage over the ocean is called Fata Morgana and occurs when rays of light are bent when they pass through air layers of different temperatures. It is named after the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay because it was once believed the mirages they were fairy castle created by her witchcraft to lure sailors to their death. Elias added: “I was worried that nothing would come out of the eclipse. READ MORE