distant-traveller: Colorful light pillars How can an aurora appear so near the ground? Pictured above are not aurora but nearby light pillars, a local phenomenon that can appear as a distant one. 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 in a form of light snow, sometimes known as a crystal fog. These ice crystals may then reflect ground lights in columns not unlike a Sun-pillar. In the above picture, the colorful lights causing the light pillars surround a ice-skating rink in Fairbanks, Alaska. Image credit: Walter Tape (Alaska Fairbanks), Figure 8-1, Atmospheric Halos Click for high-res version

distant-traveller:

Colorful light pillars

How can an aurora appear so near the ground? Pictured above are not aurora but nearby light pillars, a local phenomenon that can appear as a distant one. 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 in a form of light snow, sometimes known as a crystal fog. These ice crystals may then reflect ground lights in columns not unlike a Sun-pillar. In the above picture, the colorful lights causing the light pillars surround a ice-skating rink in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Image credit: Walter Tape (Alaska Fairbanks), Figure 8-1, Atmospheric Halos

∞Posted on March 5, 2013

Reblogged from: Voyage into Space

Notes: 524 notes

Tags: light pillars,sun,ice crystals,sunlight,space,apod,Astronomy,


Notes

  1. nfiore reblogged this from the-science-llama
  2. vikioslife reblogged this from the-science-llama
  3. his--lionheart reblogged this from science-junkie
  4. vingt-un reblogged this from distant-traveller
  5. hadley1229 reblogged this from hadleysuniverse
  6. dnalien reblogged this from allinablur
  7. illuzionslightshow reblogged this from distant-traveller
  8. falling-in-too-deep reblogged this from distant-traveller
  9. one-hell-of-a-principal reblogged this from science-junkie
  10. nunescreative reblogged this from the-science-llama
  11. rolling-with-my-gnomies reblogged this from the-science-llama
  12. youneedtocutyourhair reblogged this from allinablur
  13. allinablur reblogged this from glasglow
  14. hydrosassic-acid reblogged this from tsisqua
  15. tsisqua reblogged this from the-science-llama
  16. getonyourjellyshoes reblogged this from middleofadventure
  17. middleofadventure reblogged this from science-junkie
  18. astro-stoner reblogged this from the-science-llama
  19. darlingdemonkin reblogged this from lover-of-loki
  20. lover-of-loki reblogged this from kmalleena
  21. grtdrake reblogged this from the-science-llama
  22. elektrifyingheart reblogged this from the-science-llama
  23. lautuma reblogged this from the-science-llama
  24. cerse reblogged this from the-science-llama
  25. gabycorpse reblogged this from the-science-llama
  26. whenseasonschange reblogged this from alpha-centauri
  27. spectra-umbra reblogged this from distant-traveller
  28. the-tea-fanatic reblogged this from the-science-llama
  29. not-bridget reblogged this from the-science-llama
Top of Page