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‘#OrlandoStrong': Rainbow Arcs Over Orlando, Lighting Up Social Media

The city also held a prayer service Tuesday night

A rainbow appeared over the city of Orlando Tuesday night, according to social media posts, a sight many of them took as a symbol of hope two days after one of the country's worst tragedies.

The images showed a rainbow shining in golden light in front of dark clouds. Some said it seemed to come directly from Pulse nightclub, where a heavily armed gunman killed at least 49 people Sunday, the deadliest mass shooing in U.S. history.

Twitter user @AlexaScore used the hashtag #OrlandoStrong when she posted a photo of the rainbow. She said she was going to her gym near Pulse "and this rainbow is hanging over the nightclub."

Rainbows have been used the world over — hanging over the historic Stonewall Inn in New York and draping the Eiffel Tower in — as a symbol of solidarity with the attack on the popular gay nightclub. 

Still reeling from the shooting, the city held a prayer service Tuesday night as well. 

There is a rainbow in the sky right now!!! #OrlandoStrong #OrlandoUnited

A photo posted by Ricky Padilla (Not from 95.3) (@halfrickan) on Jun 14, 2016 at 3:28pm PDT

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said he was uplifted by the way the community has come together as more than a thousand people — including many clergy and local, state and national civic leaders — met Tuesday night at First Baptist Orlando to hold a vigil for the shooting's victims.

Dyer said to the crowd: "We will not be defined by the act of a hate-filled killer. We will be defined by our love, compassion and our unity."

NBC Southern California's Irene Moore contributed to this report.

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