What Are Light Pillars and How Do They Form?

I was driving home recently and all I could see in the distance were lights going straight into the sky. I discovered they are called "Light Pillars" but how do they form?

What is a Light Pillar?

While driving home recently I witnessed something called "Light Pillars." I had seen them before but it wasn't as vivid as the other night.

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I kept thinking, what is making the light go straight up? I live in Newaygo County where there are virtually no skylines from bigger cities so it's very dark and the light pillars stand out. If someone was driving in the distance the headlights were shining up or it was a house with a light outside I could see it shining in a pillar into the sky. I wondered what was causing these light pillars to form.

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How Do Light Pillars Form in the Sky?

Light pillars are not to be confused with the Northern Lights, these are two separate things that occur in nature differently.

According to AccuWeather, light pillars are lights that beam into the sky. Light pillars form when light is refracted by ice crystals when there is no wind and it's extremely cold like the weather we experienced in West Michigan a few days ago. What is crazy is that the ice crystals are so small they remain suspended in the air. When it is zero degrees or colder and the crystals are close to the ground, is when the light pillars appear.

It doesn't have to be completely dark for the light pillars to show themselves you just need the right conditions.