Wesley Liikane in Severn Bridge, Ontario captured this beautiful photo of light pillars, which are vertical shafts of light extending from a bright light source. They can be five to 10 degrees tall and sometimes even higher. They might lengthen or brighten as you gaze at them. He wrote:
On the evening of December 23, you could see the ‘sundog,’ caused by ice crystals in the air … I knew the night was going to be great, with even colder weather coming, and hoped the ice crystals would stay long enough to catch some light pillars. This image was captured down the road from my house on Highway 11, showing the lights from the local city making some wonderful light pillars. Just another reason the night can be so fun! Thanks for viewing and hope your holiday season is going wonderfully.
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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