Astronomy Picture of the Day 1-23-03

NASA ^ | 1-23-03 | Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell

[petuniasevan]

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2003 January 23

Launch of the Sun Pillar
Credit & Copyright: Lauri A. Kangas

Explanation: On January 16, NASA's space shuttle Columbia roared into blue morning skies above Kennedy Space Center on STS-107, the first shuttle mission of 2003. But this is not a picture of that launch! It was taken on the morning of January 16 though, at sunrise, looking eastward toward Lake Ontario from just outside of Caledon, Ontario, Canada. In the picture a sun pillar, sunlight reflecting from ice crystals gently falling through the cold air, seems to shoot above the fiery Sun still low on the horizon. By chance, fog and clouds forming over the relatively warm lake look like billowing smoke from a rocket's exhaust plume and complete the launch illusion. Amateur photographer Lauri Kangas stopped on his way to work to record the eye-catching sun pillar launch.

[petuniasevan]

Depending on the shape, abundance, and position of the ice crystals, there can be

halos

sundogs (parhelia)

or pillars like the main image.

All are examples of light refraction, like the mirage puddle of water on an asphalt road in summer, or a rainbow.

[petuniasevan]

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[petuniasevan]

Exciting thread!

Destination: Mars

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

I saw a sun pillar on the way to work two days ago, just before the sun rose - spectacular!

[xJones]

Beautiful!

[RightWhale]

To see the whole display requires an uncommon combination of atmospheric conditions. These conditions occur sometimes at northerly latitudes during the winter. A hazy sky and cool temperature while the sun is about 10 degrees above the horizon usually produces sundogs, but for the full display the sky must be clear and the temperature low. The entire display occupies the entire dome of the sky, not just the region within 22 degrees of the sun.

[mikrofon]

Absolutely stunning picture -- thanks!

One could almost imagine a planetary body in the upper left corner with its "rings" ;^)

[BossyRoofer]

I have seen this many times early in the morning! Quite spectacular! Good job APOD!