Last night there was a good chance of an aurora here in Wisconsin. I dutifully monitored our north-facing window off and on during the night, and my vigilance was rewarded by the sight of a beautiful, diaphanous sky veil of light.

It wasn't until this morning, when I saw my photos full scale, that I realized: this display was not an aurora at all! It was instead an equally lovely atmoshpheric phenomenon – light pillars. A fairly rare occurrence, light pillars can grow from ground lights on cold winter nights when conditions are just right. Hexagonal ice crystals that normally reside high in the atmosphere descend toward the ground and reflect light, creating a stunning, illuminated curtain effect.

What is behind that luminous curtain, I wonder? Perhaps another world?

Panasonic FZ200

I tweaked contrast a wee bit.