“Touring the Koko-en Gardens adjacent to the Himeji castle was an unexpected highlight of our visit”, wrote Jeff Solar, 64, of Silver Spring, Md., about his trip to Japan. “The fall colors were outstanding and the gardens were both amazing and a bargain (just a few Yen added to the cost of the Himeji Castle admission)”. (Photo by Jeff Solar/2017 Washington Post Travel Photo Contest)

A model presents a creation from the Jeremy Scott Spring/Summer 2015 collection during New York Fashion Week September 10, 2014. (Photo by Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

A colorful sky at sunset over the snowy mountains in Immenstadt, Bavaria, Germany, 20 November 2014. Cloudy weather is forecast in the region on 21 November. (Photo by Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/EPA)

A light pillar is a visual phenomenon created by the reflection of light from ice crystals with near horizontal parallel planar surfaces. The light can come from the Sun (usually at or low to the horizon) in which case the phenomenon is called a sun pillar or solar pillar. It can also come from the Moon or from terrestrial sources such as streetlights.

Chinese Taipei's Hsiao-Wen Huang reacts after winning her fight against Serbia's Nina Radovanovic during their women's fly (48-51kg) quarter-final boxing match during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo on August 1, 2021. (Photo by Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)

People cling on to a crowded train as it leaves a railway station during the ongoing Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Ghaziabad, India, September 21, 2021. (Photo by Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters)

A girl looks on at a diver dressed as Santa Claus performing during a promotional event for Christmas in Seoul, South Korea on December 3, 2021. (Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

Young demonstrators (many shirtless) shout and cheer as they overturn a truck trailer in the Reflecting Pool on the Mall facing the Washington Monument during the “Honor America Day Smoke-In” thrown by marijuana activists to protest the official “Honor America Day” ceremonies being held at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC, July 4, 1970. (Photo by David Fenton/Getty Images)