Light pillars illuminate night sky over Canada
An image shared on Monday shows features known as "light pillars" beaming between the snowy ground and gray clouds in southwestern Canada.
"Mind blowing light pillars in our little village of Alix, Alberta," posted Dar Tanner on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Light pillars in Alix, Alberta. (@dartanner / X / FOX Weather)
What looks like a neat photography trick is a beautiful phenomenon made by Mother Nature.
MEZMERIZING ‘LIGHT PILLARS’ ILLUMINATE THE NIGHT SKY IN MINNESOTA
Light pillars form when lights on the Earth’s surface reflect off of six-sided ice crystals found in the frozen clouds above.
FILE - Ice crystals in the clouds over Graceville, Minnesota, sent vertical beams of light high into the sky, showcasing a phenomenon known as light pillars. (Twitter.com/carolbauer320 / FOX Weather)
During very calm conditions, the ice crystals in the clouds settle horizontally, similar to dinner plates laying flat, according to Michael Kavulich of the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
They essentially act like mirrors reflecting lights shining from the ground, such as streetlights, to create a beam of light between the Earth and sky.
FILE - Sun pillar viewed from Asheville, North Carolina. (Grant W. Goodge / NWS / FOX Weather)
Light pillars can also be created by sunlight, as shown in the images above.
Usually, as the Sun peeks over the horizon at sunrise or sunset, sunlight reflects off of the "dinner plate" ice crystals in the clouds to form a pillar of light known as a "sun pillar."