Sunday, February 12, 2006

A Sun Pillar in Red and Violet

Credit & Copyright: Jim Kirkpatrick & Brigitte Heiter-Kirkpatrick

This is just one of example of a natural phenomenon that led the ancients to make up superstitious explanations for something they did not understand.

Explanation:
Sometimes the unknown is beautiful. In 2000 February near Lake Tahoe, Nevada, two amateur photographers noticed an unusual red column of light rise mysteriously from a setting sun. During the next few minutes, they were able to capture the pillar and a photogenic sunset on film. Pictured above, the red column is seen above a serene Lake Tahoe and snow-capped mountains across from Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park. The mysterious column, they learned later, is a Sun Pillar, a phenomenon where sunlight reflects off of distant falling ice crystals.

NASA: ASTRONOMY PHOTO OF THE DAY

1 comment:

Stardust said...

It had to be spectacular to see with one's own eyes, for sure.