Hyderabad: Commuters passing by the Yousuf Tekri building, near Tolichowki and residents of Al Hassanath Colony in Mehdipatnam were startled by a thick dark circle in the cold morning air on Saturday. The ring lasted for around 30 minutes and dissipated gradually.
The ring was spotted at around 5.30 am first at Yousuf Tekri, an old building located on the main road between Mehdipatnam and Tolichowki. It moved forward slowly before gradually disappearing.
It passed by the high tension wires of Yousuf Tekri Colony at low speed. Traffic halted on the stretch as many onlookers stopped to witness the unusual scene and some took pictures on their cellphones.
Deccan Chronicle reader Shirishaw, who sent pictures of the ring to this newspaper, stated, “We saw a thick gas round circle in the sky from the Nanal Nagar bus stop near Mehdipatnam.”
According to Irfan Afzal, who saw the phenomenon, said that the inside of the circle was thick black in colour. It dissipated gradually as it moved towards Jubilee Hills. Asked about the phenomenon, Dr B.G. Sidharth, director, Birla Science Centre, said, “The only explanation would be that it may be part of the Geminid meteor showers.”
Sky watchers are in for a double treat this month. While Comet Catalina has now become visible in the early hours on the eastern sky, the Geminid meteor shower is expected to peak on December 13 and 14.
