Friday, January 13, 2017

Light Pillars In Ontario

 
While the photo (below) may look like a scene out of Star Trek, the beams are actually called light pillars.

"Light pillars are an atmospheric phenomena created when tiny ice crystals reflect either natural (sun or moon) or artificial light (such as streetlights)," says The Weather Network meteorologist Erin Wenckstern. "This type of ice crystal is flat and hexagonal in shape, and when they are suspended in the air, together they act like a gigantic mirror, reflecting the light source upwards or downwards."
They are known to appear during extremely cold nights, when ice crystals form closer to the ground, rather than high up in the atmosphere, adds Wenckstern.

2 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Not even sure if I believe this or not.

Cal's Canadian Cave of Coolness said...

I felt the same way about SUN DOGS until I saw them. It has to be really really clear and cold for these kind of things to appear. Imagine how ancient man looked at stuff like this. Their little brains would explode.