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Credit & Copyright: N. D. Liao
Explanation:
What's happening across that field?
Pictured here are not
auroras but nearby
light pillars,
a phenomenon typically much closer.
In most places on
Earth, a lucky viewer can see a
Sun pillar, a column of light
appearing to extend up from the
Sun caused by flat fluttering
ice-crystals reflecting sunlight from the
upper atmosphere.
Usually, these ice
crystals
evaporate before reaching the ground.
During freezing temperatures, however,
flat fluttering
ice crystals may form near the
ground in a form of light snow
sometimes known as a
crystal fog.
These ice crystals may then reflect ground lights
in columns not unlike a
Sun pillar.
The featured image was taken last month across the
Wulan Butong Grasslands in
Inner Mongolia,
China.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: light
Publications with words: light
See also: