Bangor Sunset Pillar

February 13, 2006

Bangor_sunset_center

Provided and copyright by: Lucy Orloski
Summary authors & editors: Jim Foster; Lucy Orloski

This gorgeous Sun pillar was observed just before sunset on December 20th, 2005, from Bangor, Maine. Sun pillars are created by sunlight reflecting off the bottom faces of hexagonal plate-shaped ice crystals -- pencil shaped crystals can also produce pillars. The height above the Sun a pillar extends is equal to about twice the average tip angle of the crystals.

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