20°C
Porth, Newquay, Cornwall. UK
Updated28/07/2026 10:15 
 




NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

🌌 NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

Light Pillars Over Inner Mongolia

Date: 2024-03-04

Light Pillars Over Inner Mongolia

View HD Image

Explanation:

What's happening across that field? Pictured here are not auroras but nearby light pillars, a phenomenon typically much closer. In most places on Earth, a lucky viewer can see a Sun pillar, a column of light appearing to extend up from the Sun caused by flat fluttering ice-crystals reflecting sunlight from the upper atmosphere. Usually, these ice crystals evaporate before reaching the ground. During freezing temperatures, however, flat fluttering ice crystals may form near the ground in a form of light snow sometimes known as a crystal fog. These ice crystals may then reflect ground lights in columns not unlike a Sun pillar. The featured image was taken last month across the Wulan Butong Grasslands in Inner Mongolia, China.