Pillar Duo

December 20, 2005

Sun_pillars copy

Provided by: David Watson, 94th Regional Readiness Command
Summary authors & editors: David Watson; Jim Foster

As I was driving to work in Devens, Massachusetts, on the morning of November 1, 2005, I noticed a beautiful sun pillar rising in the eastern sky. Upon arrival, I observed that there were two pillars above the tree line, so I ran inside, grabbed my camera and took this shot. Hexagonal plate shaped ice crystals were responsible for these pillars -- sunlight reflects off of their bottoms. These crystals tend to orient themselves horizontally as they fall through the air. Time of the photo was 6:08 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time).

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