Ice crystals make for surreal display of light pillars
This was no outer-worldly experience – just some well-placed ice crystals
Light Pillars shine over Western Washington
Ice crystals in the clouds over Puget Sound refracted the city lights into vertical beams of light early Friday morning. (Video courtesy: Greg Johnson / SkunkBayWeather.com)
HANSVILLE, Wash. – Those who were up early enough Friday morning along Washington's Kitsap Peninsula were treated to a surreal sight of vertical glowing lights over the water.
But this was no outer-worldly experience – just some well-placed ice crystals.
The video by Greg Johnson at SkunkBayWeather.com in Hansville shows what are called "light pillars" and are created when city lights below reflect off six-sided ice crystals in the frozen clouds above.
"So it's kind of like a dinner plate," said Michael Kavulich with the National Center for Atmospheric Research. "And if there are very calm conditions, they'll settle in a horizontal orientation, and they can essentially act like mirrors."
The city lights will then bounce off each ice crystal, creating a majestic display.
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"When you see light pillars at night, that's due to actually lights at ground level reflecting off of these horizontal kinds of (ice) mirror crystals," Kavulich said.