Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Colorful Light Pillars

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for September 2, 2002 is “Colorful Light Pillars,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Credit & Copyright: Walter Tape ( Alaska Fairbanks ), Figure 8-1, Atmospheric Halos). The original explanation runs about 132 words.

Colorful Light Pillars
Credit & Copyright: Walter Tape ( Alaska Fairbanks ), Figure 8-1, Atmospheric Halos Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“How can an aurora appear so near the ground? Pictured above are not aurora but nearby light pillars , a local phenomenon that can appear as a distant one.”

— APOD editors, September 2, 2002

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
September 2, 2002
Type
Image
Credit
Credit & Copyright: Walter Tape ( Alaska Fairbanks ), Figure 8-1, Atmospheric Halos
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 132 words

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.