Pope Francis' New York Visit sees dozens of 'rainbows' appear above

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The crescent-shaped 'rainbows' were spotted over Madison Square Garden and Central Park despite there being no rain
They are called 'circumzenthial arcs' and appear when sunlight is refracted through ice crystals in thin cloud
People shared their images of the mini-rainbows on Twitter, with the hashtag 'blessed'

Published: 17:52 EST, 25 September 2015 | Updated: 04:39 EST, 26 September 2015

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The streets of New York were packed with beaming faces today as thousands of well-wishers flooded on to the sidewalks to send their love to Pope Francis.

And it appeared the heavens were smiling too - with dozens of crescent-shaped 'rainbows' spotted over Madison Square Garden and Central Park ahead of his visit, despite there being no rain.

The mini-rainbows are actually circumzenithal arcs - patterns of color formed from light being split through shards of ice crystals. They are typically found in thin cirrus clouds.

Dozens of 'rainbows' have been spotted in the clouds above Central Park as 80,000 people gathered to see Pope Francis pass through on his way to give Mass at Madison Square Garden

#Rainbow in sky above Madison Square Gardens ahead of #PopeFrancis mass #PopeinNY #PopeinUS (I shot this, no filter) pic.twitter.com/8ZvjDAwoaK
— Sarah J. Glover (@skyphoto) September 25, 2015

The fact that the light is refracted through ice rather than water allows the arcs to form without rain.

In northern America, arcs are fairly common - with most people able to see them around a couple of times a year.

According to the Met Office, circumzenthial arcs only form when the Sun is between 32 degrees away from the horizon until when it disappears from the sky.

The 'rainbow' is at its brightest when the Sun is 22 degrees from the horizon, making late afternoon the best time to see one.

Rainbow over MSG where #PopeFrancis will lead Mass pic.twitter.com/SwiXMQ6RWy
— Alexandra Field (@AFieldCNN) September 25, 2015

No rain, but a rainbow over msg for #PopeFrancis pic.twitter.com/GvQJ1D0WbN
— Luke Mayville (@lukemayville) September 25, 2015

In order for people to actually see one from the ground, there needs to be a very thin layer of cloud with a bright enough sky to pick the colors out against the background.

Circumzenthial arcs are named for their halo-like shape - circum, meaning circle - and their position in the sky - zenthial, referring to the sun's zenith point.

There is also a phenomenon known as circumhorizontal arcs, which form close to the horizon, when the sun is at higher altitudes.

The arcs were spotted by some of the 80,000 people who were lining the streets around Central Park and Madison Square Garden on Friday afternoon, waiting to catch a glimpse of His Holiness.

Many Twitter users shared their images ahead of the Pope's arrival in Central Park (pictured), saying they felt 'blessed' to have seen the phenomena, which are actually called circumzenthial arcs

Pope Francis was in the middle of the three-day tour of New York, having previously visited Washington DC and Cuba, and will fly to Philadelphia tomorrow before going back to Rome on Sunday

Dozens of people took to Twitter to post images of the colorful displays, with many using the hashtag 'blessed' alongside their pictures.

The Pontiff, who is visiting America for the first time as Pope, waved to crowds as he made his way past Central Park to Madison Square Garden, where he was due to deliver Mass in the evening.

Earlier in the day, Francis had given a speech to members of the UN General Assembly - who were in New York to discuss sustainability and climate change - before travelling to the 9/11 memorial.

Once there he met some of the people who had turned out to see him, including blessing a little girl in a wheelchair, before descending into the 9/11 museum to hold an inter-faith prayer service.

Conditions in New York were perfect for the arcs to form, with bright sun, a clear sky and only a thin layer of high cloud for the light to be refracted through (pictured, people shield their eyes from the sun in Central Park)

Francis delivered a message of peace among nations, while lamenting the 'senseless act of violence' which destroyed the World Trade Center.

He then visited Our Lady Queen of Angels school in East Harlem, described by one Catholic official as 'his most important stop', where he asked the largely Hispanic and black pupils to 'pray for me'.

Francis is due to leave New York tomorrow morning from JFK Airport before flying to Philadelphia where he will hold another Mass, before inviting thousands of followers to gather for a Festival of the Families that evening.

He is due to fly back to Rome at 8pm on Sunday.