A Sun Pillar . ... When the air is cold and the Sun is rising or setting , falling ice crystals can reflect sunlight and create an unusual column of light. Ice sometimes forms flat, stop-sign shaped crystals as it falls from high-level clouds . Air resistance causes these crystals to lie nearly flat much of the time as they flutter to the ground. ... In the above picture , the sun-pillar can be traced up to the cloud that is raining the reflecting ice-crystals. ... NASA Official: Jay Norris. ...