'Mysterious light column' in the sky of Hanoi has appeared in many places, what phenomenon is this?

The image of a light pillar appearing in the sky of Hanoi in the early morning of May 19 was recorded by many people and quickly shared on social networks. Many netizens speculate about this strange phenomenon and call it the 'Te Thien stick', 'the connection to the parallel universe'.

In fact, images of light pillars almost identical to those in Hanoi or images of similar "versions" of light pillars in the sky have also been recorded in some places such as North Platte city (Nebraska state, USA). , Elkins (West Virginia, USA)…

Recently, on May 11, up to 9 pillars of light appeared in the night sky in Daisen city (Tottori province, Japan), described by people here as looking like 'light swords' in the sky . science fiction movie.

Image of a light column in the sky in Hanoi at dawn on May 19. (Photo: Hanoi 24h).

So what are these pillars of light?

According to Science ABC , it is an optical phenomenon that occurs in a low-temperature atmosphere and has flat ice crystals formed at different altitudes (in the atmosphere). Talking about how these crystals move and work is a bit complicated, but basically they reflect natural and artificial light. The reflected light stretches into a column that can reach high into the sky. These light pillars can have many different colors, depending on the color of the light source they reflect. The larger and denser the crystals, the more pronounced this effect. In addition, the higher the crystals are in the atmosphere, the taller the light column looks - a spokesperson for the US National Weather Service (NWS) told CNN .

The light sources involved in this phenomenon can be light sources on the ground, street lights, or even the Sun or Moon.

Similar light column image in Elkins (West Virginia, USA) in January this year. (Photo: Dustin George).

But for a pillar of light to form, the atmosphere must be calm and windless . Because although wind is not directly related to this phenomenon, it can easily disrupt the reflection of light.

The above light pillars do not really exist but are just an illusion due to the presence of light-reflecting crystals. However, only ice crystals arranged in a certain pattern, under certain atmospheric conditions, create the image of columns of light, according to AccuWeather . So this phenomenon is very rare.

The light pillars look quite diverse. (Photo: NWS).

In the case of the 9 light pillars in Japan, Japan Today explains, the light source is lights placed on fishing boats to attract fish. At night, when the temperature in the atmosphere drops, ice crystals form high above, plus other conditions are also suitable and there is no rain, the crystals reflect light forming columns of light. .

9 light pillars in Japan recently. (Photo: X).

Thus, the image of the light pillar in the sky in Hanoi can also be explained in the same way as above and is not a mystery, much less related to any 'other planets'.