May the hot air be with you: Darth Vader balloon rises over Canberra Australia

An ominous sight rose over Canberra, Australia this weekend that had residents summoning the power of the Force.

A Reddit user posted a creepy image of the Star Wars character Darth Vader emerging from behind a building, saying it was a hot air balloon that launched over the city. The post soon hit the front page of Reddit and earned hundreds of comments.

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Indeed, there was an enormous hot air balloon shaped like Darth Vader's head floating over Canberra. It will continue to reign terror upon the city until March 17, according to the official schedule.

The balloon is the creation of a Star Wars fan in Belgium who, with help from FanWars, received permission from Lucasfilm and designed the massive tribute, according to the website. The balloon measuring 26 metres high and 21 metres wide first launched in 2007.

About 4000 people attended the Australian event, according to the Canberra Times, watching as the balloon filled with air, launched and slowly turned to face the crowd with a sneer.

Stormtroopers guarded the balloon lest any heroic Jedi masters try to take it down.

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Canadians better start training in Jedi techniques now, because the balloon is scheduled to arrive in Gatineau, QC this September.