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                           Astronomy Picture of the Day   
      
       Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our   
         fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation   
                       written by a professional astronomer.   
      
                                   2024 March 4   
      Numerous thin pillars of light connect a landscape filled with snow to   
        a star filled sky. The Big Dipper can be seen through the colorful   
        pillars. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.   
      
                         Light Pillars Over Inner Mongolia   
                       Image Credit & Copyright: N. D. Liao   
      
      Explanation: What's happening across that field? Pictured here are not   
      auroras but nearby light pillars, a phenomenon typically much closer.   
      In most places on Earth, a lucky viewer can see a Sun pillar, a column   
      of light appearing to extend up from the Sun caused by flat fluttering   
      ice-crystals reflecting sunlight from the upper atmosphere. Usually,   
      these ice crystals evaporate before reaching the ground. During   
      freezing temperatures, however, flat fluttering ice crystals may form   
      near the ground in a form of light snow sometimes known as a crystal   
      fog. These ice crystals may then reflect ground lights in columns not   
      unlike a Sun pillar. The featured image was taken last month across the   
      Wulan Butong Grasslands in Inner Mongolia, China.   
      
                         Tomorrow's picture: star painters   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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