My Vietnam Veteran buddy, David Koopman, provided this explanation of this picture, taken in 2013 in Jonesboro on the way to an early morning prayer breakfast. A sun pillar is a halo phenomenon of a vertical shaft of light extending upward or downward from the sun. Typically seen during sunrise or sunset, sun pillars form when sunlight reflects off the surfaces of ice crystals associated with thin, high-level clouds (cirrostratus clouds). The hexagonal plate-like ice crystals fall with a horizontal orientation, gently rocking from side to side as they fall. When the sun is low on the horizon, an area of brightness appears in the sky above (or below) the sun as sunlight is reflected off the surfaces of these tipped ice crystals. However, often only the upper pillar appears. Sun pillars are seen best within a few minutes of sunrise or sunset. Initially they have about the same coulour and width as the sun.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 22:51:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015