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.

People walk throw the Damascus gate during the Jerusalem Festival of Lights on June 15, 2011 at Jerusalem's Old City, Israel. The festival opened on Wednesday night and will run for a week in the Old City of Jerusalem, hosting Israeli and international artists and creators who will display their installations throughout the week. (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

An installation of Canadian artists Caitlind Brown and Wayne Garrett is displayed during the Lumina Light Festival in Cascais September 14, 2014. Lumina Light Festival shows artworks of artists from several countries, which are displayed during a tour around Cascais. (Photo by Rafael Marchante/Reuters)

Palestinians walk on a road during a power cut in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip January 11, 2017. (Photo by Mohammed Salem/Reuters)

Picture made available by “All About Lapland” on March 24, 2023 and taken on on late March 23, 2023 shows colourful northern lights (Aurora borealis) appearing around the Arctic Circle near Rovaniemi, Finland. The northern lights appeared right after dawn, and they continued all the way through the night. (Photo by Alexander Kuznetsov/All About Lapland/AFP Photo)

A grizzly bear fishes for salmon under the Northern Lights in Klukshu, Yukon, in the north of Canada on March 3, 2025. The bear makes use of the darkness because the salmon can't see well enough to swim away. (Photo by Peter Mather/Solent News & Photo Agency)

The BMW i8 concept vehicle is displayed at a sneak preview of the car along with the BMW i3 on November 9, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A visitor takes photos while attending the Dandenong Festival of Lights in the suburb of Dandenong in Melbourne, Australia, September 23, 2015. The month-long festival, set up by the Chinese Cultural Works Light Spectacular, celebrates Chinese culture through a display of hundreds of beautiful and unique silk light displays, according to the event's website. (Photo by Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters)