Recently, The Weather Conditions Were Perfect For This Mind-Blowing Phenomenon

Sometimes winter isn’t all that bad.

Case in point: when the sun sets in a cold environment, it reflects against ice crystals that manifest in the air. The collective surface of these ice crystals acts as a mirror to the sun and other light sources (like street lamps), reflecting their light into the image of pillars reaching for the stars.

That’s a lot of sciencey-sounding stuff, but all you really need to know is that light pillars look cool as hell. Check out these pictures taken from people all over the world!

It’s understandable why some people think these are UFOs.

Amazing.

(via My Modern Met)

So even though winter is sometimes a mushy mess of discolored snow on the ground, up in the sky it’s a heavenly light show for the gods. If only there was a way that I could see a light pillar without leaving the warmth of my apartment…