Moon over Dallas area last night.

[Wildcat]

hi wildcat
i think these are called pillars - googled to try and find a good photo as an example but maybe it's something that doesn't photograph well http://www.atoptics.co.uk/halo/moonpill.htm
sounds like an absolutely magical sight though

That's it, Lorna! Thank you for finding that. This particular moon pillar seen last night only extended below the moon giving the illusion that the moon was trying to "beam something up".

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http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/moonring/

Moon Pillars
Moon pillars can be seen when the moon is rising or setting near the horizon. They are pale shafts of light that extend out either above or below the moon. Pillars appear in the sky when ice crystals reflect light forward from a strong light source such as the moon. Those crystals with plate or column shapes provide an excellent surface from which the light may reflect toward the viewer's eyes. Because the light rays forming pillars are reflected, and not refracted, they take on the colour of the incident light.
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