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Credit & Copyright: Aigar Truhin
Explanation:
What's happening over that town?
Close inspection shows these strange columns of light occur over bright lights,
and so likely are
light pillars that involve
falling
ice crystals reflecting back
these lights.
The
above image and several similar images were taken with a standard digital camera
in
Sigulda,
Latvia in late 2009.
The reason why these pillars fan out at the top, however,
remains a topic for
speculation.
The air was noted to be quite cold and indeed filled with small ice crystals, just
the type known to create several awe-inspiring but well known
sky phenomena such as
light pillars,
sun pillars,
sun dogs, and
moon halos.
The cold and
snowy winter occurring this year in parts of Earth's
northern hemisphere is giving
sky enthusiasts new and typically unexpected opportunities
to see several of these unusual optical
atmospheric phenomena for themselves.
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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 - ice crystals
Publications with words: light - ice crystals
See also: