Photographer Captures Otherworldly Light Pillars in Northern Ontario

light pillars atmospheric optics night sky ice crystals optical illusion

In northern Ontario, residents are used to viewing the Northern Lights, but tech YouTuber Timothy Joseph Elzinga was in for a big surprise when he gazed out his window last Friday night. Awoken by his 2-year-old son at 1:30 am, Elzinga was about to settle back into bed when he noticed a strange sight—moving, shimmering lights beaming up from the ground outside!

Just what were these extraterrestrial beams of light flooding the night sky? Light pillars. This incredible optical phenomena has nothing to do with the Northern Lights. Rather, reflections of light inside ice crystals cause this atmospheric optical illusion.

With temperatures dropping to 0 degrees Fahrenheit (about -18 degrees Celsius), dense clusters of ice crystals formed, creating the perfect vessels to reflect light. What Elzinga saw wasn't really a column of light. These light pillars were merely an optical illusion as the homes, businesses, street lights, and traffic lights caused a collective reflection off the ice crystals.

“It looked like someone from Star Trek was trying to beam people up,” Elzinga tells CBC. “It was very bright in person, like nothing I've ever seen. It almost seemed supernatural.”

Beam me up! These light pillars are an optical phenomena caused by light reflecting off ice crystals.

light pillars atmospheric optics night sky ice crystals

light pillars atmospheric optics night sky ice crystals

light pillars atmospheric optics night sky ice crystals illusion

light pillars optical phenomena night sky ice crystals

light pillars atmospheric optics night sky ice crystals illusion

light pillars optical phenomena night sky ice crystals

Watch the YouTuber explain his amazement at seeing this otherworldly optical illusion.

Timothy Joseph Elzinga: YouTube | Instagram
h/t: [PetaPixel]

All images via Timothy Joseph Elzinga.

Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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