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Explanation: What's happening at the end of that street? Pictured here are not auroras but light pillars, a phenomenon typically much closer. In most places on Earth, a lucky viewer can see a Sun pillar, a column of light appearing to extend up from the Sun caused by flat fluttering ice-crystals reflecting sunlight from the upper atmosphere. Usually, these ice crystals evaporate before reaching the ground. During freezing temperatures, however, flat fluttering ice crystals may form near the ground and are sometimes known as a crystal fog. These small ice crystals may then reflect not the Sun but ground lights. The featured image captured not only numerous light pillars but also the iconic constellation of Orion, and was taken in Mohe, the northernmost city in China.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: light
Publications with words: light
See also:
- APOD: 2025 February 24 Á Light Pillar over Erupting Etna
- APOD: 2024 June 9 Á How to Identify that Light in the Sky
- APOD: 2024 March 4 Á Light Pillars Over Inner Mongolia
- Light Pillar over Volcanic Etna
- How to Identify that Light in the Sky
- Light Pillars over Whitefish Bay
- Unusual Light Pillars over Latvia