A vertical column of light that appears to extend above or below a bright light source, most often the sun or moon near the horizon, or artificial ground lights on a cold night. It forms when light reflects off the flat, horizontally oriented faces of falling or suspended ice crystals, each acting as a tiny mirror, so that countless individual reflections merge visually into a single continuous beam. Light pillars from streetlights are a distinctly cold-weather phenomenon, requiring calm air thick with ice crystals near the surface.
Facts
Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceA vertical beam of light that appears to extend above and/or below a light source. 1 Sources
1. Light pillar, Wikipedia
IntroductionQuote, Introduction
A light pillar or ice pillar is an atmospheric optical phenomenon in which a vertical beam of light appears to extend above and/or below a light source.
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