Subj : Daily APOD Report
To   : All
From : Alan Ianson
Date : Mon Mar 04 2024 00:10:42

                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2024 March 4
   Numerous thin pillars of light connect a landscape filled with snow to
     a star filled sky. The Big Dipper can be seen through the colorful
     pillars. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                      Light Pillars Over Inner Mongolia
                    Image Credit & Copyright: N. D. Liao

   Explanation: What's happening across that field? Pictured here are not
   auroras but nearby light pillars, a phenomenon typically much closer.
   In most places on Earth, a lucky viewer can see a Sun pillar, a column
   of light appearing to extend up from the Sun caused by flat fluttering
   ice-crystals reflecting sunlight from the upper atmosphere. Usually,
   these ice crystals evaporate before reaching the ground. During
   freezing temperatures, however, flat fluttering ice crystals may form
   near the ground in a form of light snow sometimes known as a crystal
   fog. These ice crystals may then reflect ground lights in columns not
   unlike a Sun pillar. The featured image was taken last month across the
   Wulan Butong Grasslands in Inner Mongolia, China.

                      Tomorrow's picture: star painters
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.
                NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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