Sun pillar observed in St. Petersburg at sunset
Residents of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast observed a rare atmospheric phenomenon — a sun pillar — on the evening of January 24, when the weather cleared after a mostly overcast day.
Feb 8, 2026 0
Photographer German captured the sun pillar, a vertical light band formed by ice crystals, during sunset in St. Petersburg.
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Meteorologists confirmed that on Saturday, January 24, St. Petersburg had variable cloudiness. For most of the day, the sky was overcast, but by evening the weather allowed for a spectacular sunset to be observed.
Web cameras in central St. Petersburg recorded the rare optical effect as the sun set on January 24.
In several districts of the city and oblast, a sun pillar could be seen. This is what specialists call a vertical light band that stretches from the Sun to the sky during its sunrise or sunset. This optical phenomenon occurs when sunlight reflects off the nearly horizontal facets of ice crystals floating in the air.
The bright sunset with this unusual effect was captured on web cameras installed in the central part of St. Petersburg.
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