An amazing and unusual natural phenomenon – “Light pillars”

There are many interesting phenomena in nature that never cease to amaze us. One of such phenomena is light pillars, it seems that the sky and the earth seem to be connected. In ancient times, many peoples accepted them as a sign from above and interpreted them in their own way. Some argued that this was a good sign, while others led to trouble. Light pillars are an amazing natural phenomenon also known as “halo”. This can usually be observed during the cold period (in winter) when the temperature is below 20 degrees. In order for light columns to appear in the Earth’s atmosphere, ice crystals must form, while the sun must be low.

When the temperature in the atmosphere is low enough, ice crystals begin to form, which are able to reflect light. However, these pillars can also be observed in the warm season, when cirrus clouds appear in the sky. The thing is that ice crystals can also appear in them.When the sun’s or moon’s rays of light enter the Earth’s atmosphere, they collide with ice crystals suspended in the air, which is why light pillars (halos) appear. In winter, ice crystals form low to the ground, which makes it possible to observe this amazing phenomenon more clearly. Their appearance can be confused with artificial lighting, as if searchlights were turned on. The pillars look like vertical columns, either rising up or falling down from the light source.The most interesting feature of them is that they will be the same color as the source, that is, the rays with which it was created. If the Sun is red, then the pillars are red, and if orange, then orange. From the rays of the Moon, they are usually white or light gray.