The Heavenly Crepuscular Rays

Crepuscular rays in atmospheric optics, are rays of sunlight that appear to radiate from a single point in the sky, specifically where the sun is. These rays have long since been associated with the majesty and beauty of the heavens. As we stare at these golden light shots, it's easy to imagine them coming from the mysterious beyond.

These rays, which stream through gaps in clouds (particularly stratocumulus) or between other objects, are columns of sunlit air separated by darker cloud-shadowed regions.

They often occur when objects such as mountain peaks or clouds partially shadow the sun's rays like a cloud cover.

Rays of light penetrating holes in low clouds, beams of light diverging from behind a cloud, and pale, pinkish or reddish rays that radiate from below the horizon, are often mistaken for light pillars.