Icy Light Pillars

Timothy Joseph Elzinga, located in Northern Ontario, gazed out his window last Friday night and noticed some strange lights after being awoken by his 2-year-old son at 1:30 am. So, he stepped outside and for a closer look before realizing it had nothing to do with the Northern Lights, but is rather a natural phenomenon known as light pillars. These are caused by light reflecting off ice crystals in the sky. Continue reading for more pictures and information.

Light Pillars
Light Pillars
Light Pillars
Light Pillars
Light Pillars

“With temperatures dropping to 0 degrees Fahrenheit (about -18 degrees Celsius), dense clusters of ice crystals formed, creating the perfect vessels to reflect light. What Elzinga saw wasn’t really a column of light. These light pillars were merely an optical illusion as the homes, businesses, street lights, and traffic lights caused a collective reflection off the ice crystals,” reports My Modern Met.

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