NASA– Explanation: What’s happening over that town? Close inspection shows these strange columns of light occur over bright lights, and so likely involve falling ice crystals reflecting back these lights. The reason why these pillars fan out at the top, however, is currently unknown — readers of APOD might help figure this out by participating in an online discussion. The above image and several similar images were taken with a standard digital camera in Sigulda, Latvia last month. 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.
Checkout more photos at the spaceweather.com site.
A possible explanation – the ice crystals in the air are at the right density to form a vertically alligned effect over the lights. At a height of about 50m or so, the desity and thus the allignment of the crystals changes – causing the diffraction (diffusion?) seen as a fannig out.
said with a convincing tone of voice makes it sound plausible 🙂
I notice this last night. We didn’t have light pillars. But we did have bright areas in the sky almost like it was dusk. This was only over brightly light areas. It was cool looking.
I think they are on the right track but I’ll be happy to leave the math to others.
I will say the effect is beautiful.
It’s a sign from the beings found on Mars. They are getting ready to invade.
I lived in Alaska for 20 years. There is a phenomena that happens when it is very cold, 20 below or more. Ice crystals “fall” up.I’m sure there is a physical reason for this, I just don’t know what it is. When I used to drive the very dark 13 miles between Sutton and Palmer in that kind of weather the lights from the Correctional Center looked just like this.
It’s kind of hard to believe that this is news of any sort.
Probably caused by some sort of ice crystal lensing effect. Which polarizes light upward, as density changes. You can buy SLR camera lens filters that produce a kind of four point flaring for bright light sources. Perhaps something similar is in effect here. Only it’s caused by atmospheric conditions. Certainly NOT by aliens. Why would Latvia’s immigrates do this?
I live in Anchorage and we get this phenomenon every winter.
It happens when we have a cold night and very still are over the city with ice fog. The lights sources are not omni directional and aiming down towards the ground.
My wife and I came up with this guess. Floating ice crystals below the light are reflecting light up, as this reflected light hits more crystals above the light some of those reflect back towards our viewpoint. This assumes somewhat flat disk shaped floating crystals.
I have not seen that fanning out at the top, I would speculate there is a slight wind above the still air messing up the alignment of the crystals.
#1 got it. The crystals form in a shape that causes them to drift oriented vertically. An aerodynamic shape. The air must be quite still to achieve this.
Is this like a rainbow only with Ice crystals?
Looks very cool!!
My .02 would be that there is an ice fog condition with the individual frozen ice particles acting in unison as a light pipe. At the top where it fans out is caused by a temperature inversion as the ice transitions from ice to water droplets having slightly different refracting physics. Or not.
RBG
Here’s a site that contains a giant sun pillar composed of column shaped crystals. The picture is outstanding and may help to explain this phenomenon.
Les Cowley is an expert on the subject. Enjoy.
http://atoptics.co.uk/halo/colpill.htm
“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
space aliens