Advertisement

Ontario man photographs bizarre 'light pillars' in night sky


A rare weather phenomenon recently lit up the northern Ontario sky like a science fiction movie, and one local man managed to catch it on camera.

It happened when North Bay resident Timothy Joseph Elzinga was checking in on his two-year-old at around 1:30 a.m., reports the CBC. He happened to look out the window and was surprised to see rays of bright coloured lights shooting up into the sky.

Elzinga was intrigued and headed outside to snap some shots of the bizarre sight — a phenomenon known as light pillars.

You can see him explain more on his experience with the lights here:

According to the New York Times, the light pillars occur when hexagonal-shaped ice crystals form close to the ground. These crystals reflect nearby light sources like street lights or car headlights back up into the sky.

Last January a photographer in Kauttua, Finland managed to snap a shot of light pillars from directly below. From where she was standing, it appeared as if a street map of her town was being projected into the sky in light.

Light pillars happens with some frequency during the winter months in colder regions, so northern Canadians have the best chance of spotting the otherworldly display.

Update: Yahoo Canada Facebook user Justin Oertel sent us this photo of his view of the pillars.

Justin Oertel shot this photo of the North Bay, Ont., light pillars. Supplied photo.
Justin Oertel shot this photo of the North Bay, Ont., light pillars. Supplied photo.