Bizarre vertical light phenomena help

[Billrabara]

Hello,

I work for a class 1 railroad in northwestern Ohio as a conductor. Approximately six months ago traveling down the tracks at a speed of 45-60 mph, en route to Pittsburgh, PA, my engineer and I encountered something bizarre and, for us, baffling. A light beam from every single light source we saw, appeared to shoot vertically, straight up into the sky. This appeared to be happening on every light source like street lights, oncoming locomotive headlights passing on the adjacent track, lights on various tower structures, etc, etc. It looked like the light beams emanated from top of of the lights where the beams appeared laser-like in that, from out vantage point, the beams were rather concentrated and not cone shaped and went straight upward, perpendicular to the ground.
This happened at night and I do not remember if it was raining slightly or the temperature. This happened, as we travelled, for at least ten miles of our journey. Obviously, there must be certain atmospheric conditions that cause this phenomenon.

What was going on? I seen this same thing happen a couple months ago but have no pictures because it is illegal for me to shoot pictures from moving trains (FRA regulations).

Thanks

 

[Drakkith]

Did you look at all the light sources through a closed window?

 

[willem2]

Something like this?

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131218.html

 

[davenn]

if there was low cloud / fog there may be the possibility of the light forming a visible beam reflecting off the moisture droplets

Considering that most streetlights are shaded to the top it almost rules that out

I like drakkith's comment, he may possibly thinking that on the window the light is streaking
and that would be a strong possibility if the windows were a bit dirty/greasy

Dave

 

[davenn]

nice link willem :)

D

 

[berkeman]

nice link willem :)

D

Yes, very cool.

 

[Billrabara]

Yes that's it wilhelm! I have seen it twice this past year and I will take a picture next time. The only difference is that I saw the source of the light pillars -- street lights, headlights from cars and trains. I had to have seen over 100 over the course of 20 minutes.

 

[berkeman]

Sweet. Way to go PF!

 

[davenn]

what I can't figure out, is if the streetlight is shaded on its top by its housing
how does a vertical pillar of light get produced ?Dave

 

[Billrabara]

This is really close to how it looked.

Thanks, Wilhelm

 

[berkeman]

This is really close to how it looked.

Thanks, Wilhelm

Interesting. The pillars go down as well as up, I think. The stars would come from the aperture shape, but did you take this with an apertureless cell phone?

 

[Drakkith]

what I can't figure out, is if the streetlight is shaded on its top by its housing
how does a vertical pillar of light get produced ?Dave

The light isn't forming a vertical pillar. See here: http://www.atoptics.co.uk/halo/lpil.htm

 

[davenn]

Thanks Drakkith

that explains it nicely, we live and learn

The stars would come from the aperture shape, but did you take this with an apertureless cell phone?

that would be my thinking, its easy to get nice starburst patterns around lights with a small aperture f15 - F22 or so
I don't know what the aperture of the avg mobile phone would be ??


Dave

 

[Billrabara]

Interesting. The pillars go down as well as up, I think. The stars would come from the aperture shape, but did you take this with an apertureless cell phone?

The photo I posted mirrors what it looks like to the naked eye.

 

[glappkaeft]

It sounds like your run of the mill light pillars caused by ice crystals in the atmosphere. It is not that uncommon in here in Sweden, I've seen it several times and caught it once with a camera.

 

[davenn]

... It is not that uncommon in here in Sweden, I've seen it several times and caught it once with a camera.

its too hot in Australia to see them

Dave

 

[glappkaeft]

its too hot in Australia to see them

On the other hand it's not -20 degrees C or lower when you want to look at the sky...

 

[willem2]

If it happened 6 months ago (september) in Ohio, I don't think it would be cold enough for ice cristals. record low temperature in Toledo, ohio in september is only -3 celsius.

 

[ebos]

Have seen that many, many times while in Alberta, Canada but just during very cold winter nights. Usually more than -20C. Now I know what that was...Thanks.

 

[Billrabara]

If it happened 6 months ago (september) in Ohio, I don't think it would be cold enough for ice cristals. record low temperature in Toledo, ohio in september is only -3 celsius.

It did happen to me and it was Far East Ohio--- somewhere between the booming metropolises of New Waterford and Alliance. It was in 2013 and I could be off on precisely when I witnessed them occurring (two times last year).

 

[abitslow]

Don't confuse air temperature at ground level with the temperature of the ice crystals. Ice can form in the atmosphere at any time of the year at that latitude.

 

[MRBlizzard]

Sounds like a sun dogs; works like a sun dogs. Tiny prisms of ice are suspended in the air, and the wind blowing horizontally aligns the crystals long axis horizontally. These prisms refract the light above and below the light source. This looks like vertical columns of light above (and below) each source.

 

[willem2]

Don't confuse air temperature at ground level with the temperature of the ice crystals. Ice can form in the atmosphere at any time of the year at that latitude.

The ligth from the pillar just above the lightsource is reflected from a spot just above the light source, so there has to be ice at a very low altitude.