Frozen FlameWyatt GhateAward: Top 100
School: evanston township high school This photograph was taken early in the morning in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, catching a sun pillar phenomenon. The phenomenon is usually found at dusk or dawn, in cold, snowy conditions. But the Rockies provide the perfect conditions for the sun pillar because of the altitude, temperature, snow, and clean air. This helps to create diamond dust, millions of snow crystals floating above the surface. The snow-covered surface of the mountains is also ideal because of the reflective nature of the snow. These conditions create the sun pillar because of the Law of Reflection. In this case, diamond dust reflects light from the sun. But in this case, the pillar is very defined because the diamond dust is also reflecting light from below. This is because the ice crystals in the snow below reflect light upward. The light is then reflected onto the observer, creating the glowing light above the surface in their eyes. The pillar shape of the light is due to the arrangement of the snow crystals in the air, which is typically in the shape of a pillar. This is because the individual crystals are horizontally positioned and stacked on top of each other. 
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