We had a winter of record winds, freezing temperatures and darkness. However this week, it seems the summer has finally arrived in Ireland. On May 21st I noticed a developing sun pillar on the horizon. As it progressed I took several images, each equally beautiful.  The pillar of light  interacted with the sky and the sea, altering colour and bringing drama as it peaked and faded after sun set.  Beautiful to watch, it seemed to pierce the clouds just above the suns departure point.   Sun pillars are shafts of sunlight  glinting off ice crystals in our atmosphere. This phenomenon is explained well here on this wonderful site Atmospheric Optics    On May 23rd the sun offered an active region for drawing. OK now the atmosphere was not the steadiest I have ever seen, but it was hot and the sky was blue. The active region was small and complex, the challenge to draw the sun in h-alpha with my  … Continue reading →