Light Observation
Time: Sunday, 8pm
Objective Description: A cloud of smoke coming out of a tall smokestack was lit up by the obstruction lights on the smokestack, creating a lightning-like effect.
Subjective Description: As I was returning to Hofstra from New York City, I saw a flash of lighting out of the corner of my eye – but that couldn’t possibly be, it was February and freezing, which aren’t exactly ideal conditions for lighting. I looked to see what could have caused this, and it turned out to be the obstruction lights on a smokestack. A thick, nearly opaque cloud of smoke was billowing out of the smokestack, silhouetted briefly by flashing white-blue lights. It looked extremely reminiscent of lightning flashing in the clouds during a storm. I watched the lights flash several more times before driving away, trying to pretend that it was summer and this was actually a thunderstorm and it wasn’t less than zero degrees outside. Seeing the imposter lightning made me marvel that something man-made could so easily recreate one of nature’s most amazing and awesome lighting phenomenons.