Double Pillars Over Arlington Heights, Illinois

Provided by: Dale Hugo
Summary Author: Dale Hugo, Jim Foster

This captivating sunset, including a pair of Sun pillars, was photographed from my home in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Taken from the second floor through a thermal pane window, it shows striking sunset colors and what appear to be two separate pillars. Horizontally stacked and hexagonally shaped ice crystals in the Earth's atmosphere reflect the waning sunlight in a manner to form narrow columns of light. The ladder-like rack of clouds nearby extended nearly all around the sky and heightened the drama. The pillar effect was visible for over 20 minutes and deepened into the scarlet sky as the Sun set. Photo taken on March 3, 2008.