Luminous phenomenon in the sky of Quebec

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Luminous columns could be observed during the night in the sky of Quebec.

Photo : - / Erik Chouinard

Published at 4:27 p.m. EST

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During the night from Saturday to Sunday, columns of light appeared in the sky over Quebec. The optical phenomenon raised questions from internet users who wondered what they were seeing in the sky.

These are not the Northern Lights, although at first glance the two phenomena may look similar. The auroras require specific peaks of solar activity to be observed at the latitude of Quebec, in the middle of the city, which is not the case in recent days.

It’s about “light pillars” [colonnes lumineuses] featuresreplies Loïc Quesnel, science communicator at the Montreal Planetarium, who was able to observe the photos of the phenomenon.

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The phenomenon of light columns observed in the sky of the Saint-Sauveur district, in lower town of Quebec.

Photo: Courtesy

According to the Astrophysical Sciences Division of the NASA and Michigan Technological University, this kind of photometeors can be observed when weather conditions allow the formation of flat ice crystals at low altitudes.

The characteristic shape of these crystals means that they can reflect light emitted by terrestrial or celestial sources, such as the full moon on Saturday night. The presence of several of these crystals at different altitudes and at different distances between the source and the observer gives rise to these light columns.

The temperature must be low enough to allow these ice crystals to form. Environment Canada confirms that these crystals were present in the sky over Quebec.