A mesmerizing phenomenon was observed in Ontario, Canada, when strange pillars of light decorated the night sky. This never-seen-before occurrence had an almost alien-like glow
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NASA revealed that these mysterious streaks of light were actually ice forming at high altitudes. NASA further stated that on freezing winter nights, crystals of flat ice, referred to as crystal fog, which are situated in the higher atmosphere, rapidly descend to the Earth's surface.
What Caused Brilliant #PillarsOfLight To Appear Over #Canada? https://t.co/SAFDDNcydP #LaserLights #Lasers #CanadianLightShow @YeshuaMiri
— Author JB Richards (@JeanneRichard11) January 16, 2017
These beautiful pillars of lights are formed by the crystal fog as it reflects light emitted by vehicles and other urban infrastructure. These light pillars belong to the halo family and were defined as an optical phenomenon by a Science Alert report.
Atmospheric optics expert and retired physicist, Les Cowley, has shed more light on these strange streaks and revealed that these pillars are not physically present; they are light beams similar to halos and reflect light when observed by human eyes or a camera's lens.
These rays of light were believed to be the Northern Lights by Timmy Joe Elzinga, who captured this happening on the camera of his smartphone on January 6, 2017 at 1:30 am.
Take a look at the colourful beams of light, known as atmospheric halos, that Timmy captured here:
