Canadian Man Awakened By Crying Baby Captures Amazing 'Light Pillars' Phenomenon

January 12, 2017

A photo taken by Timothy Joseph Elzinga is making headlines because it captures one of the world's natural phenomenons: light pillars.

Light Pillars / Credit: Timothy Joseph Elzinga 2017

The northern Ontario man was surprised to wake up in the middle of the night to see beams of brightly coloured lights shooting up into the sky.

"We can blame the two-year-old," said Elzinga. "He started crying at 1:30 a.m., so I got up and soothed him ... and out the window I had the perfect view of these dancing lights in the sky.

"I had to investigate. I got some pants on and ran outside and took some photos."

Light Pillars / Credit: Timothy Joseph Elzinga 2017

Light pillars appear when either natural or artificial light bounces off ice crystals floating close to the ground. In this case, the air was so cold that ice crystals were forming in the air, reflecting the city's street and business lights.

"It was very bright in person, like nothing I've ever seen. It almost seemed supernatural," Elzinga said.