Sunrise from McCarty's Cove, Marquette, MI

Sunrise No. 1,069 of 2,000+

  • Sunrise time: 8:16
  • Azimuth: 122°
  • Did the sun rise: Yes
  • Was the sun visible: Oh yes

Weather

  • Felt like: 22 ºF
  • Air Temp: 27 ºF
  • Humidity: 70%
  • Wind: 5 mph
  • Wind gust: 10 mph

Exposure

  • 35mm
  • f/5.0
  • 1/500 sec
  • 50

Location

McCarty's Cove, Marquette, MI

0.4 mile commute

📍 46° 32' 55" N, -87° 22' 47" W

View all map locations

Musings [122 words]

Behold, the sun pillar!

Over 1,000 sunrises into this project, I can confidently say seeing these vertical beams of light from the sun is a rare sight at sunrise.

The first time I recall seeing this prominently was March 15, 2020. At that time, I referred to it as a vertical sun beam and didn’t know it was called a sun pillar or light pillar.

What I’ve since learned about this sun phenomena is that it’s unique to cold conditions. According to Weather.gov:

“Sun Pillars appear as a shaft of light extending vertically above the sun, most often at sunrise or sundown. They develop as a result of ice crystals slowly falling through the air, reflecting the sun’s rays off of them.”

Sun pillar at sunrise

Outtakes

Become a BugsyLand™ member
to view outtakes