light pillar
Columnar ice refraction
A light pillar is a vertical column of light appearing to extend above or below a light source, created when ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere reflect light.
The phenomenon occurs in cold weather, typically appearing over streetlights, the sun, or the moon: We saw light pillars rising from the parking lot on that frigid night.
Though striking, light pillars are optical illusions—the column exists only in the observer's line of sight.
- skyVisible overhead expanse
- diamond dustSuspended frozen precipitation
- phenomenonExtraordinary observable occurrence
- reflectionReturned light or thought
- ice crystalsSolid water formations
weather · cold snap · sub-zero temperatures · atmosphere · hexagonal · refraction · polar regions · cirrus clouds · meteorological · optical · illumination · snow flurries · sundog · cloud · sunset · parking lot · night photography · visibility
- weather phenomenatornado, wind, hurricane, gust, blizzard
- sky phenomenathunderstorm, lightning, rainbow, sunset, sunrise
- sky lightsrainbow, sundog, sun dog, sun dogs, halo
- sky opticsrainbow, double rainbow, sundog, halo, sun halo
- visual phenomenaoptical illusion, phosphenes, mirage, afterimage, afterimages
- rare phenomenaanomaly, rarity, oddity, phenomenon, aberration
light pillarglory
Exalted honor and praise
rainbow · circumhorizontal arc · parhelic circle · halo · sun dog
light, lightly, highlight, sunlight, lighten, pillar, daylight, lighting, lighter