For the first time in our lives last week, Don and I saw a natural phenomenon called a Sun pillar.
To me, the Sun shone like a giant spotlight into the sky.
In reality, Sun pillars are vertical streaks of light that appear above and below a low Sun as it shines through clouds that contain ice crystals. The pillars are caused by sunlight reflecting off the surface of falling ice crystals.
Breathtaking.
Morning Bray Farm 
January 19, 2011 at 5:30 am
That is so neat!
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January 19, 2011 at 5:34 am
I’ve never even heard of sun pillars before today. They remind me of a vertical orange rainbow!
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January 19, 2011 at 5:35 am
Mother Nature has a gazillion tricks up her sleeve, doesn’t she?
The pictures are beautiful. I can easily believe that the in-person view was indeed breathtaking!
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January 19, 2011 at 6:34 am
I would not have known! We saw something like this at the top of the mountains the other day, but not so well defined, and had no idea what to call it. Beautiful photos.
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January 19, 2011 at 6:58 am
How cool! I had no idea such a thing existed. Thanks for the tutorial and the beautiful, beautiful pictures!
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January 19, 2011 at 7:17 am
Mother Nature is just spectacular! So is this photo.
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January 19, 2011 at 7:30 am
I’ve never heard of that, but it is beautiful! I love the birds flying by as well – that little touch of life really makes the photo (as far as I am concerned).
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January 19, 2011 at 7:30 am
I love that first photo with the birds in it. I hadn’t heard of sun pillars before, but I have seen them.
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January 19, 2011 at 8:26 am
It’s spectacular, is what it is!
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January 19, 2011 at 10:12 am
I am awed by this. Truly beautiful.
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January 19, 2011 at 11:06 am
Wow. Is this a sun-up or sun-down event?
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January 20, 2011 at 6:40 am
Danni,
It can be either. This one was at sunset.
The conditions for this to happen as far as I understand are: 1) The sun has to be low in the sky; and 2) The air has to be cold.
It was super cool and very beautiful. 🙂
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January 19, 2011 at 1:46 pm
That was for sure a great moment! And you had the camera ready and birds came by. Wow, what a heebie-jeebies-composition!!
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January 19, 2011 at 2:35 pm
Wow. Never heard of such a thing. Neato! Thanks for sharing with us.
Suzanne
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January 19, 2011 at 9:05 pm
I have learned something new again today-thanks to you! Absolutely beautiful! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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