The vertical bar of light above the location where the sun just set is a sun pillar. These atmospheric phenomena occur when the high-level clouds have flat hexagon-shaped ice crystals that reflect the light of the sun. They can occur when the sun is low in the sky either at sunrise or sunset. This sun pillar appeared at dusk on Christmas day, and was accompanied by colorful clouds and a deer grazing in the grass.
December 25, 2013