Light Pillars over Alaska

What's happening behind those houses? Pictured here are not auroras but nearby light pillars , a nearby phenomenon that can appear as a distant one. 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 in Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks in central Alaska . Follow APOD on: Facebook , Google Plus , or Twitter