Nighttime holds its own wonders, often unseen as we rest peacefully in our beds. Photographer Timothy Joseph Elzinga experienced one such moment when his 2-year-old son, Gibson, roused him from sleep at 1:30 a.m. Gibson had spotted captivating, vibrant lights dancing in the sky. Swiftly grabbing his camera, Timothy captured breathtaking photos of a phenomenon known as “light pillars,” a spectacle that might have slipped by unnoticed had it not been for his son’s early-morning discovery.
“I initially mistook it for the Northern Lights since we reside in Canada,” Elzinga explained. “It was an exceptionally clear night, revealing every detail. These lights were shooting upwards into the sky, reaching hundreds of feet high, shimmering and gracefully moving across the expanse.”
A light pillar is an atmospheric optical phenomenon resulting from the interaction of light with ice crystals. When the temperature plummets and these crystals align horizontally while descending through the air, they effectively serve as conduits for light, projecting it upwards into the sky.
