He took this photo only 21 km from home… and nobody ever understood what it was.

Why our brain loves celestial illusions

The reason this photo is so captivating is that it evokes a universal phenomenon: pareidolia. This term refers to our tendency to see familiar shapes in things that aren’t really familiar. A face in the clouds, a heart in the coffee foam, a silhouette in the moon… our minds love to connect the dots.

This reflex is far from insignificant. It reflects our need for meaning, our desire to believe that there is a connection between us and the world around us. These  signs from the heavens , whether purely optical or not, stimulate our imagination and remind us that beauty is everywhere, even where we least expect it.