Colored light pillars shoot into the sky over Samara region
Bright light pillars appeared in the night sky over the Samara region. The unusual phenomenon, which can be mistaken for the northern lights, was spotted by a resident of the urban-type settlement Lyubov Kireyeva-Kazina, who shared mesmerizing photos.
«I wasn«t waiting for the light pillars, I just noticed them suddenly. And then it started…» Lyubov Kireyeva-Kazina told a correspondent from 63.RU.
Our colleagues from NGS found out where «light pillars» come from.
«Light pillars occur during frosty periods. The phenomenon is associated with the formation of a suspension of ice crystals of a certain shape, which refract light from bright ground sources. This creates vertically directed rays that are called «pillars»», explained Oleg Kashin, a specialist at the Bolshoy Novosibirsk Planetarium.
Light pillars can be of different colors. The most mysterious and mystical are blue.
The phenomenon was also commented on by members of the astronomy lovers« club «AstroSamara»:
«Light pillars are a fairly rare natural optical phenomenon in the Samara region. For their formation, three weather factors must coincide: high air humidity, severe frost (from -13°C, or 8.6°F) and no wind — calm. Under such conditions, all droplets of moisture in the air freeze, forming flat hexagonal plates or columns. These floating ice crystals reflect light from their surfaces and edges very well. Essentially, a light pillar is a vertical column formed by the reflection of light from many falling ice «mirrors». The color of the pillar is the same as that of the light source. In this case, the light source is artificial: street lamps, traffic lights, car headlights. There are also light pillars from natural luminaries — the Moon and the Sun. The comments have an example of such a pillar with the Sun.»
Light pillars are also called light columns. Their appearance in the sky over the Samara region was facilitated by the severe frosts that set in the region.
Also in 2024, the northern lights could be observed. Look at the flaming skies over Samara, Tolyatti, Chapayevsk and Syzran.
