Natural light columns in cold Russia

[uzn]

I wanna post somthing positive for a Change ;)
Photographer Aleksej Nokonorow captured these beauties in and around the North russian City Nowyj Urengoj on the 6.November 2016. They lasted for about 1,5 hours. it is an often occuring phenomen over there when it is really cold. These are no Lensflares, could be seen with the naked Eye.

Click to see them bigger:
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Source: Twitter #StormHour

[uzn]

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[DeDukshyn]

Beautiful. I see these here in Calgary pretty much every year when it's cold. You need about -30C or colder to get the effect. The vapour crystals in the air align themselves somehow (like a static electricity thing) in one direction which creates the effect from the streetlamps.

The sun can produce this effect as well on a cold morning - called a "solar pillar". My avatar is a photo I took one morning at about -32C before the sun had risen. This is not a lens flare or any artifact - it actually looked exactly as the avatar shows, about 3 minutes before the sun broke over the horizon. I have never seen any others with the strong horizontal effect as well - it seems to be unique to this one.

[Foxie Loxie]

LOVE the Positivity, Uzn; such beautiful photos!! DeDulkshyn....a friend of mine here in CNY took one like yours, but it was the other way up so it looks like a cross in the sky to the religious mind. :Angel:

[sommervr]

I saw this in Belleville ON a few years back. The neighbors were freaking out and contacted my wife who asked me about them. That is when I learned I was the "UFO guy"

[Carmody]

Beautiful. I see these here in Calgary pretty much every year when it's cold. You need about -30C or colder to get the effect. The vapour crystals in the air align themselves somehow (like a static electricity thing) in one direction which creates the effect from the streetlamps.

The sun can produce this effect as well on a cold morning - called a "solar pillar". My avatar is a photo I took one morning at about -32C before the sun had risen. This is not a lens flare or any artifact - it actually looked exactly as the avatar shows, about 3 minutes before the sun broke over the horizon. I have never seen any others with the strong horizontal effect as well - it seems to be unique to this one.

It generally requires a low humidity level, or a descending humidity level, combined with temperature shifts at an already low average temperature. ie, -30 or more, ice crystals, humidity 20%, etc. At extreme low temps, humidity that is low and suspended ice mist, are not mutually exclusive. Condensation can occur, and it does. It becomes suspended ice mist, hanging in a high charge zone, due to a temperature gradient. Oh yeah.... Very still air.

[DeDukshyn]

 
Taken at North Bay Ontario Jan 6th ...

https://i.cbc.ca/1.3929515.1484173641!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/pillar-lights.jpg

[Foxie Loxie]

These are all SO beautiful, they deserve a Bump!! It is soothing to see such beauty! :heart: