Nine white pillars of light recently lit up Japan’s skies, leaving residents baffled. The unusual incident occurred on May 11. It prompted people to share pictures of what they witnessed on social media. In a photo taken in Daisen Town, Japan, the bright lights stood out sharply against the dark clouds. Resembled a scene straight out of an alien invasion movie. This phenomenon is known as ‘isaribi kochu’ in Japanese. It means ‘fish-attracting light pillars’. Various local news outlets explained that this is quite common on the Japanese coasts. It is caused by reflections of ice crystals cast by the lights of the ships.
The reflection occurs when overnight temperatures drop low enough for ice crystals to form in the air above the ships. However, some conditions have to be met first. If the weather is cold enough to produce large enough crystals but no precipitation, the light from the boats reflects off the crystals. This light shines brightly enough to be seen from shore. Many users on the internet ruminated on this phenomenon. They found it magical and deemed that nature sometimes mimics art. Other users also came forward and said that they had experienced this phenomenon as far back as the 1980s.