Wednesday
May 4, 2022Light Pillars or Light Pillars are natural visual phenomena in the form of light, shaped like a pillar structure that shines upward. A light pillar is a natural phenomenon created by the reflection of light from ice crystals near the parallel surface of a horizontal plane. Light can come from the sun, usually occurs at sunset so this phenomenon is also often referred to as a sun pillar.
This phenomenon can also be caused by the moon or from light sources on earth (terrestrial) such as street lights. The Light Pillar phenomenon usually appears in cold areas where the temperature in the area reaches below 10 ° C, unfortunately areas that are on the equator such as Indonesia will not appear this phenomenon. Light Pillars often appear in winter when snow or ice crystals reflect light from a strong source such as the sun or moon. Helped by the cold temperatures, pillars of light will appear when light bounces off the flat surface of the ice crystals that float relatively close to the ground.
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Light Pillars appear as light feathers extending vertically above or below the light source, or sometimes both. Light Pillars can also be formed from artificial light sources such as street lamps, car headlights, or strong light sources from an ice skating rink. When viewed from a distance, a pillar of light will look like an aurora.
A common optical phenomenon
To some, the phenomenon of pillars of light may sound foreign. Although the name is not as popular as aurora borealis and australis, the phenomenon of light pillars is actually an optical phenomenon that is common in very cold regions, of course at night, or towards night.
Pillars of light often appear in polar regions, both the south pole and the north pole. In winter and autumn, areas near the poles such as Canada, Finland, and its surroundings are also often a suitable spot for the appearance of pillars of light. For example, like the portrait above, you can see the beauty of the pillars of light in the Alaskan sky.
Also caused by optical illusion
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Compared to natural phenomena, light pillars are actually more suitable to be called optical phenomena. Pillars of light are formed during extreme cold and dry conditions, when light reflects off ice crystals in Earth's atmosphere. The light that hits the ice crystals is then reflected back to form a straight line that looks like a pillar in the sky.
The height of the pillar of light depends on the shape of the ice crystals that reflect the light. The source of light that will be reflected by these ice crystals can be of various kinds. Can come from the reflection of moonlight or other light sources on the Earth's surface, such as street lights. In New York, a pillar of light was created intentionally to commemorate the events of 9/11 that occurred at the WTC, named the Tribute to Light.
Lead image image from unsplash.
