The mysterious nine pillars of light that appeared in Japan: what were they?
The recent appearance of pillars of light in the skies over Japan sparked some to fear an alien invasion. Here’s what they really were and what caused them.
Nine mysterious pillars of light recently appeared in the night sky over the port of Mikuriya, in the city of Daisen, Japan. This phenomenon, known as ‘#ninepillars’, sparked widespread speculation, ranging from extraterrestrial activity to other supernatural theories.
The images were revealed this week on ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter) in a post by user @theinformant_x. In a few hours, the snapshots were broadcast by various media outlets.
The most credible hypothesis
Interestingly, many fans of the anime “Neon Genesis Evangelion”, a famous Japanese series that explores themes of catastrophe and rebirth, have linked the pillars of light with the ' Third Impact', a crucial event in the series' narrative.
More specifically, 'the third impact' is an apocalyptic event characterized by intense visual and spiritual manifestations, a reference that many fans found visually similar to the pillars of light they observed.
Actual explanation
Now, after exhaustive research, everything indicates that these pillars of light are not as mysterious as initially thought: they are an atmospheric optical phenomenon caused bythe reflection of light in small ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere.
Light sources can be natural, such as the sun or moon, or artificial, such as streetlights. With all this, numerous meteorologists have confirmed that the conditions of the night in question were favorable for the formation of columns of light.
Cold weather, clear skies and calm winds, it should be noted, allow ice crystals to form in the air near the ground, acting as reflectors of light from various sources. Therefore, the pillars of light observed over Japan were not the result of extraterrestrial activity or supernatural phenomena. So no need to worry.