Sun Pillar Over Buenos Aires

September 04, 2014

Sun Pillar Over Buenos Aires

Photographer: Sergio Montufar; Sergio's Flickr site
Summary Authors: Sergio Montufar; Jim Foster
 
This eye-catching Sun pillar appeared just at sunset on July 27, 2014 as observed from Ranchos, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The recipe for pillars is quite simple: First, hexagonal ice crystals are required -- found in high clouds or free falling through the atmosphere; second, nearly all of these crystals must be aligned similarly and tipped a bit; sunlight is then reflected off the crystals in the viewer's direction. Only on occasion, however, are pillars observed extending 10 degrees or more above the horizon, such as the one above.

Photo details: Camera Model: NIKON D5100; Lens: 18.0-55.0 mm f/3.5-5.6; Focal Length: 55mm (35mm equivalent: 82mm); Aperture: f/11.0; Exposure Time: 0.033 s (1/30); ISO equiv: 320; Exposure Bias: -0.33 EV; Software: Adobe Photoshop 7.0.