A picture of a Sun Pillar

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. -- At first blush, it seemed to be just another picture of a brilliant sunrise, the kind we pride ourselves on in Minnesota.

But when KARE 11 Sunrise anchor Kim Insley looked at the picture snapped by senior online producer Bea Chang, she immediately shouted "Sundog!"

Upon further review, meteorologist Jonathan Yuhas identified the bright streak in the middle of the picture as a sun pillar (also known as a light pillar).

Wikipedia defines a light pillar as "a kind of optical phenomenon which is formed by the reflection of sunlight or moonlight by ice crystals that are present in the Earth's atmosphere. Owing to such optical phenomenon the sky sometimes seems like a natural kaleidoscope. Though light pillars seem like weather illusion , they are natural phenomena."

The light pillar looks like thin columns that that are sometimes extend vertically below or above the source of light. The Light Pillars are prominently visible when the sun is low or lies below the horizon. Normally these Light Pillars form arcs that extend from five to ten degrees just beyond the solar disc. Sometimes similar reflection of moonlight by varied forms of ice crystals may also take place thus resulting in the form of light pillars.

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