What Was the Giant Pulsating Orange Disc Over the River Thames Monday Night?

A disc-shaped orb was seen floating over the River Thames near London Monday night, confusing some onlookers. But if they looked closer they would see it wasn't a UFO but a promotional stunt for the next edition of the popular video game Halo.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 celebrated the release of Halo 4 with this "Halo 4 Glyph," which it states in its announcement was one of the "largest and brightest man-made structures to ever fly over a capital city."

(Image: YouTube screenshot)

Take a look at the official trailer of the glyph's flight:

The glyph measured 50 feet in diameter and weighed more than three tons. It was flow by a helicopter.

“'Halo' launches are renowned for being entertainment game-changers and we are back with our most ambitious projects to date,” Chris Lewis, Vice President, Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft EMEA, said in a statement. “Last week we created a replica of the “Halo” universe within the heart of Europe. This week we have one of the worlds’ largest and brightest performance art objects being flown over London.

“The Glyph flyover makes the seemingly impossible world of science fiction a reality, a 50 foot symbol of the Didact hovering in the skies of a major capital city, seems a fitting way to herald the next chapter of this phenomenal blockbuster franchise.”

(Image: YouTube screenshot)

The glyph was made by a team of more than 50 people over the span of eight weeks. It included 455 LED light strips on 37 panels, which totaled more than 113,000 lights using 20 kilowatts of power. Although the glyph was flown, the lights were remote controlled by a boat following it in the river.

Check out this footage of the glyph taken from a further distance away:

(H/T: Daily Mail)