Atmospheric Phenomena

Sun pillar, after a snow storm, while the sun was below the southern horizon

Day 10; February 1, 2009; Vesleskaervet, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica
Average Daily Temperature: 15.26˚ F
Average Daily Wind Speed: 23.04 mph
Feels Like: -19.30˚ F

Today there were snow and wind storms all day, requiring that we stay inside. I spent most of the day writing, studying up on some of the features of my equipment, and watching the blizzard intermittently hide the mountains to the south.

I have been staying up late each night in order to watch the sun do its now nightly dip below the horizon. Tonight’s sunset was quite a treat, and I experienced my first sun pillar.

A sun pillar is a beautiful atmospheric phenomena that displays a strong gleam of sunlight that can either be cast directly upward or downward, perpendicularly to the horizon. They are generally formed when the sun’s rays are reflected and scattered by millions of tiny, airborne ice crystals. These crystals are plate-like in shape, often associated with thin high-level clouds, and therefore have a large surface area upon which the sun’s light can reflect.

Sun pillars are most often a sunrise or sunset phenomena, and since during this time of year where I am in Antarctica the sun sets at about midnight and then rises again by 2am, the sun pillar I experienced this evening lasted well over an hour.

With the base quiet and most people asleep, I was able to sit up in the window over my desk and observe this wondrous event, for its duration, in solitude.

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