Last week, many people across eastern Europe were treated to a strange and surreal sight- orange snow!

The mysterious phenomenon has shown itself in many parts of Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece primarily. But what is causing it?

According to meteorologists, this is a rare occurrence, something typically seen once every five years or so. Sandstorms in the Sahara desert of Africa caused a lot of sand and dust to be swept up into the atmosphere.

According to satellite imaging by NASA, this sand drifted across the Mediterranean Sea and got lifted into the upper layers of the atmosphere, where wind and weather patterns caused it to spread out and combine with regular rain and snow. The amount of sand from the Sahara was reported to be one of the largest in history, resulting in orange snow!

Many people traveling on vacation were excited by the strange and unusual sight and posted photos of themselves skiing, snowboarding, and doing other winter activities in it. Many have described the sight as otherworldly, like a Martian winter. However, scientists predict that the orange snow won’t remain falling for much longer.