资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

Sophie Melanson

By Jon White

THERE is a colourful upside to the freezing temperatures sweeping across parts of North America this week. These light pillars – captured here in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada – are more usual in polar regions, but have been seen as far south as Ohio in recent weeks.

Light pillars are an optical illusion that results from very cold air causing flat ice crystals, normally found only in high clouds, to occur much closer to the ground. Illumination from street lamps reflects off the crystals and creates the impression of an ascending rod of light.

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