Photographer Captures Amazing Light Pillars In Northern Ontario

Light pillars are a kind of visual miracle which is shaped by the reflection of sunlight or moonlight by ice crystals that are present in the Earth's atmosphere. They are also termed the crystal beam phenomenon.

The light pillar appears like a thin column that prolongs vertically above and/or below the source of light. The light pillar is obviously visible when the Sun is low or lies lower than the horizon. It generally forms an arc that spreads from five to ten degrees beyond the solar disc. Light pillars can sometimes also be seen rising from the Moon. Light pillars are made by reflection from ice crystals with approximately horizontal faces.

 Light pillars have also been known to yield UFO reports. Niagara Falls is one such area, where the mist from the Niagara Falls sources the phenomenon to appear repeatedly during the winter months, where the ice crystals act together with the city's many skyward spotlights to create noticeable light pillars.

 Light pillars could also be made by man-made light sources, e.g streetlights.