January 31, 2014
On the day you were born, the universe did what it has always done best: transformed chaos into beauty.
Light Pillars from a Little Planet
Birthday · January 31, 2014
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published January 31, 2014. Credit: Janne Voutilainen. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
erie pillars of light ring the edges of this snowy little planet. Of course the little planet is planet Earth, shown in a nadir-to-zenith, around-the-horizon, little planet projection. The spherical panoramic image mosaic maps a view from Siilinjärvi in eastern Finland. Flat ice crystals, like those more often found in high, thin clouds, are gently fluttering in very cold air near the surface. Pillars of light appear as the crystals' briefly horizontal facets reflect upward directed light from ground sources downward, toward the observer. In fact, the fluttering crystals produce an effect analogous to shimmering columns of moonlight or sunlight reflected by surface waves across water.
Image credit: Janne Voutilainen