Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Unusual Light Pillars over Latvia

NASA ^ | December 28, 2014 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

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.

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit & Copyright: Aigar Truhin]

[SunkenCiv]

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[null and void]

I have some not very good pictures of a sun dog under an airplane.

[Telepathic Intruder]

And this is of course related to astronomy because....it’s taken at night. Duh.

[SunkenCiv]

;’)

[smokingfrog]

Polar vortex light pillars.

[TheOldLady]

Pretty light show. Wish there were more pillars in the picture.

Thank you for the ping, Mr. Civilizations.

[BenLurkin]

Interesting.

[ClearBlueSky]

FABULOUS! Looks like a SPFX lightsaber promotion for the next Star Wars film!

[9thLife]

Light pillars over Latvia
Do you remember those
light pillars over Latvia
we danced and romanced among
we were foolish, we were young!
and we fell in love!

Oh those
Light pillars over latvia...

[Diana in Wisconsin]

LOL! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Neat-o!

[familyop]

I’ve see those many times here, at a high elevation on the Rockies. There’s something else, that’s more mysterious, though, so far. It doesn’t happen quite as often. They look like somewhat high clouds, long and thin, parallel with the horizon. They glow with a greenish light. But they’re not clouds. They’re seen in the same parts of the sky each time—mostly to the north but not all—with the rest of the sky being clear.

[Sawdring]

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