Enchanting Light Pillar

Referred by: Eric Gallant
Summary authors & editors: Eric Gallant; Jim Foster

As I was taking pictures of the seeting Sun on this December evening in rural New Jersey, I noticed a captivating ray of light focused above the Sun. This is a Sun pillar caused by refraction and reflection of sunlight off the underside of ice crystals (plate shaped hexagonal crystals )in the cloud layer above the Sun. Compare this pillar to the one taken on December 31, 2003.

Related Links:

• Sky Photography
• More About Pillars
• Atmospheric Phenomena