Photos of sun pillars have been popping up on social media the past few days, as air temperatures plummeted and winter precipitation moved in. The phenomenon, shown here from a vantage point off of Independence Drive in West Plains, is related to the same conditions that cause sun dogs or halos around the sun or moon, the interaction of sunlight or moonlight with ice crystals in the atmosphere, according to the National Weather Service. Sun pillars happen at sunrise or sunset, when the sun is low on the horizon, and are a reflection of the light off of ice crystals related to cirrus clouds, the NWS says. Sun dogs and halos, on the other hand, are a refraction of light similar to when white light passes through a prism and can sometimes create a rainbow effect.
