Aliens or just nature at play? Amazing light pillars give Russian city sci-fi movie-like feast of brightness (PHOTOS)

A rare phenomenon was observed by residents of the Siberian city of Tyumen, on the first night of winter, as light pillars colored the pre-dawn skies in blue and orange hues.

Numerous vertical shiny beams remained visible in the sky right up until sunrise, with many people flocking outside and taking pictures to share on social media.

The sight might’ve resembled an alien invasion to an imaginative witness, with tractor beams lowered into Tyumen to deploy extraterrestrial forces from spaceships to Earth.

But there seems to have been no panic among the locals, as light pillars aren’t too uncommon in northern latitudes.

The optical phenomenon happens after dusk and before dawn when the sun is near or below the horizon at temperatures below minus 20 degrees Celsius and in high humidity.

The spectacular effect is created by the reflection of light from tiny ice crystals that are suspended in the atmosphere or form high-altitude clouds. Light pillars can be observed at any time during the night.

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