Blog Introduction: Light pillars are one of the most beautiful–and weirdest–phenomena that you can see in winter. If you’ve ever been outside on a cold, clear night and seen beams of light shooting up into the sky, then you’ve seen light pillars. In this blog post, we’ll explore what light pillars are and how they occur. Read on to learn more!
What are Light Pillars?
Light pillars are an atmospheric optical phenomenon that occurs when pointed sources of light reflect off of small ice crystals suspended in the air. This can occur with natural sources of light, such as the sun or moon, or artificial sources, like streetlights or headlights.
How Do Light Pillars Form?
When the air is filled with tiny ice crystals, those ice crystals can act like tiny mirrors. When light shines on them, they reflect that light back towards the source. This can create the illusion of a pillar of light extending upwards from the source. Natural sources of light that can create light pillars include the sun, moon, and stars. Man-made sources such as streetlights, headlights, and flares can also create them.
Light pillars are usually most visible when the air is cold and there are few clouds in the sky. That’s because the ice crystals necessary for their formation are more likely to form in cold, dry conditions. However, they can technically form under any conditions where there are ice crystals in the air–even if it’s not cold enough for those ice crystals to form naturally. For example, sometimes smoke from a fireworks display can contain enough ice crystals to cause light pillars.
Best places to see the Light Pillars
The Light Pillars are one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in the world. And every year, thousands of people travel to see them. While they can be seen in many parts of the world, there are a few places where the Pillars are particularly spectacular.
One of the best places to see the Light Pillars is in Norway. The Norwegian city of Tromso is located within the Arctic Circle, and as a result, the Light Pillars can be seen there on a regular basis. In addition, Tromso is also home to some of the world’s most impressive aurora displays. As a result, visitors to Tromso often have the opportunity to see two amazing natural phenomena in one trip.
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Another great place to see the Light Pillars is in Siberia. Siberia is one of the coldest and most remote regions on Earth, but it is also one of the best places to see the Light Pillars. The Pillars often occur during winter, when the nights are long and darkness engulfs much of Siberia. However, they can also be seen during summer, when they sometimes form a ring around the sun.
Finally, another excellent place to see the Light Pillars is in Alaska. Alaska is known for its rugged beauty, and it is also an excellent place to see the Light Pillars. The best time to see them is during winter, when they often appear as dazzling beams of light in an otherwise dark landscape.
Light pillars are one of nature’s most incredible–and strangest–phenomena. If you’ve ever seen beams of light shooting up into the sky on a cold, clear night, then you’ve witnessed this phenomenon firsthand. In this blog post, we explored what light pillars are and how they form. So next time you see them, you’ll know exactly what you’re looking at!
