[ad_1]
The sky was completely decorated when Kjetil Larsen and his family were skiing in Trysil last night.
– We were very fascinated by the beautiful play of light with the full moon. An optical phenomenon that we haven’t experienced before, Larsen tells Dagbladet.
- Feel free to send your photos of light pillars: [email protected]
From Lake Mjøsa
Also in Oslo and in Eastern Norway, there were many who opened their eyes last night.
– There are several who have called us and sent us images of the pillars of light, or columns of light, says Eldbjørg Moxnes, meteorologist at the Meteorological Institute.
She says such columns of light only occur when it is very cold.
– They often occur in a light icy fog. For the Oslo area, there have been ice crystals in the air, coming from the north, from Lake Mjøsa, where there is still open water, he says.
Not the northern lights
The ice fog from Lake Mjøsa then moved with light north winds and settled over Gardermoen and the Oslo area.
– This only happens when you have humidity and very low temperatures. What happens is that the strong light from houses, construction sites and the like hits the ice. Then there will be a refraction of light and then there will be such poles of light in the air, explains Moxnes.
The columns of light that the Larsen family have seen in Trysil come from other nearby open moisture sources, and not from Lake Mjøsa, according to the meteorologist.
POSTCARD: The sky was adorned in Trysil last night. Photo: Kjetil Larsen
see more
– Some of the callers thought they had seen the Northern Lights. It may seem a bit similar, but they are two completely different things. The northern lights have nothing to do with light from the ground, he says.
Dry, cold and clear
Columns of light or pillars of light only arrive when it’s very cold, so they haven’t been seen in recent years.
– But the columns of light are typical for this time of year, when the lakes have not yet frozen completely. Now is the peak season for pillars of light, he says.
Therefore, pillars of light may appear over eastern Norway this weekend.
– They can do it quickly. In the future, the weather will stay cold and the lakes will gradually freeze again, making conditions worse for seeing light bars next week, Moxsnes says.
Otherwise, the meteorologist may report that it is “fairly calm on the weather front.”
– Both during the weekend and during the week. It is cold and little rain in most places. Now it will be typical winter weather beyond: dry, cold and clear, says the meteorologist.
- Feel free to send your photos of light pillars: [email protected]
