Reuters photographer Luke MacGregor’s perfectly timed snap captured the full moon forming a sixth ring in the Olympic display on London’s Tower Bridge.
The masterpiece quickly made the rounds online, with “Tower Bridge” becoming a top trending item on Twitter.
The perfectly aligned composition graced London’s skyline Friday night, on the bridge over the River Thames.
Reuters photographer Luke MacGregor’s perfectly timed snap captured the full moon forming a sixth ring in the Olympic display on London's Tower Bridge
Many praised the magnificent picture on Twitter, calling it “epic” and a “must see”.
But others couldn’t resist joking about the unsanctioned modification by nature of the logo, after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) went to painstaking efforts to prevent the unlicensed use of its brand by local retailers.
“Moon taken to court by IOC for violating Olympic brand ban,” one Twitter user quipped.
The official Twitter account for the IOC did not tweet in response to the lunar insertion into the organization’s trademarked logo.
The five interlocking rings represent the five parts of the world involved in the global games.
The symbol was designed in 1912 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games.
The 158th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race on River Thames, UK, had to be halted midway through because of a swimmer, with Cambridge winning the restarted race.
The Oxford and Cambridge boats were side by side after 10 minutes and 30 seconds when the sight of a man in the river forced them to stop.
It was decided the two boats would return to Chiswick Bridge to restart.
Cambridge went on to win with ease after Oxford broke an oar in a clash moments after the resumption.
Oxford bow man Alex Woods collapsed in the boat after they crossed the line and he was transferred to the race launch for medical treatment, with the traditional post-race presentation ceremony abandoned.
A closely-fought race had looked to be heading for an exciting finish going into the final bend, only for a man wearing a black wetsuit to swim in front of the boats and narrowly avoid being hit by the oars of the Oxford crew.
The 158th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race on River Thames, UK, had to be halted midway through because of a swimmer
Race umpire John Garrett said: “It was totally unbelievable. We are grateful to Matthew [Pinsent] for spotting the swimmer. We thought it was some debris then we realised it was a swimmer.
“I wasn’t sure if he was going to get out of the way in time, it was quite clear he was waiting for the boats to come across him, so I just had to stop the race.”
Reserve umpire Matthew Pinsent added: “It’s not ideal but given those circumstances what could we do? It’s a safety issue. Fortunately we spotted him and stopped the race. We couldn’t possibly have carried on.”
The last time the race had to be restarted was in 2001 when there was a clash of blades.
The two boats headed back to the halfway point and the race restarted after a 31-minute delay, but Oxford’s Dr. Hanno Wienhausen broke his oar in a clash with Cambridge and the contest was effectively over as eight men took on seven.
Oxford had gone into the race as the defending champions, but Cambridge’s victory extended their lead overall in the contest to 81-76.
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Royal Marines and Scotland Yard took command of the River Thames yesterday in a determined show of strength as part of a security exercise for the London Olympics called Operation Woolwich Arsenal Pier.
Elite military and police teams joined forces in a combined exercise to give a glimpse of the sheer scale of the Britain’s biggest peacetime security operation yesterday.
The British forces show was designed to test the water for the joint operation, and to illustrate the country’s readiness against terrorism.
Around 100 marines and 50 officers rehearsed a string of high-speed drills amid fears attackers could use the waterways to launch onslaughts on London landmarks.
About 50 marine police officers in rigid inflatables and fast response boats were joined by up to 100 military personnel and a Royal Navy Lynx helicopter for the exercises.
Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison, head of the force’s security operation for the Games, said a Mumbai-style terror attack was one of a host of potential threats to the games.
Royal Marines and Scotland Yard took command of the River Thames yesterday in a determined show of strength as part of a security exercise for the London Olympics called Operation Woolwich Arsenal Pier
Speaking on the shores of the Thames, Chris Allison said: “There is no specific threat from the river but we would be failing in our duty to ignore it at games time.
“What you have seen today is the sort of things we can do.”
Despite a heavy military presence on show today, Chris Allison insisted the sporting event would remain a “blue games”.
The Thames runs directly past the O2 Arena, which will be known as the North Greenwich Arena for the purpose of the Games, when it will host events including gymnastics.
The river will also be used to transport tourists between venues via water buses and a new cable car.
Typhoon jets and HMS Ocean, the largest ship in the Royal Navy’s fleet, will eventually be deployed to protect the London 2012 Games along with up to 13,500 military personnel.
“If we need the military support, it is there,” Chris Allison said.
“All of our planning is designed to mitigate against potential risks during the summer of 2012, and this is an example of where we will be using specialist military capability to support us.
“This exercise is not in response to any specific threat, but is part of our planning to pre-deploy certain specialist assets to bolster our operation.
“This will be a summer like no other in London. The Thames runs through the very heart of our capital and will be a popular place for people who want to be part of the Olympic spirit.
“This is all part of our planning to ensure this summer’s events take place safely and securely.”
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