One of the most relevant scientific possibilities is a phenomenon known as a solar pillar. Solar pillars are vertical columns of light that appear to extend upward or downward from a bright light source, usually the Sun when it is low above the horizon. They are atmospheric optical effects, not solid objects suspended in the sky.
Their appearance can be surprisingly dramatic. A solar pillar may resemble a narrow shaft of white or golden light, sometimes extending across a substantial portion of the sky. Depending on the atmospheric conditions, it can look smooth, diffuse, shimmering, or slightly irregular. To someone encountering one unexpectedly, it may seem as though a beam of light is rising from the landscape or descending from the clouds.
The basic mechanism involves tiny ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere. These crystals can form in high, cold clouds or in other suitable atmospheric conditions. Many have relatively flat, plate-like shapes. When they fall through the air, they may tend to orient themselves approximately horizontally, although turbulence and variations in crystal shape can produce a range of orientations.
Sunlight striking these crystals can be reflected toward an observer. Because the crystals are distributed throughout a volume of air, the observer receives light from many different crystals at slightly different heights. Together, these reflections can create the appearance of a continuous vertical column.
The pillar is not a single beam traveling through the atmosphere in the manner of a laser. Instead, it is the combined visual effect of many small reflections. The light appears to occupy a definite location in the sky, but its appearance depends on the positions of the Sun, the crystals, and the observer.
This distinction is important when interpreting the images from the reported Ikaria sighting. A bright, vertically elongated feature could be consistent with a solar pillar, but the resemblance alone cannot establish that identification. The photographs would need to show the appropriate relationship between the light column, the Sun, and the surrounding atmospheric conditions.
Solar pillars are particularly associated with sunrise and sunset because the Sun's low angle can make the effect more visible against a darker or more contrasting background. However, related vertical light effects can occur under other conditions. The exact time of the reported photographs would therefore be an important piece of evidence.
Color provides another clue. Solar pillars are often white, pale yellow, orange, or reddish, depending on the color of the sunlight and the atmospheric conditions. Near sunrise or sunset, sunlight travels through a longer path in the atmosphere, allowing more blue light to be scattered out of the direct beam. The remaining light can appear warmer.
The images in this case show intense white-and-golden centers with colorful edges. A solar pillar might explain the vertical structure and some of the warm tones, but a pronounced rainbow-like border could indicate that other optical processes or camera effects are also contributing to the appearance.
A related possibility is that the apparent figure is a combination of several overlapping effects. The eye and camera do not always separate them clearly, particularly when the brightest part of the image is close to the Sun. A vertical column, a patch of thin cloud, and internal reflections within the camera lens could potentially appear as one connected shape.
Solar pillars also demonstrate why an atmospheric event can seem to move even when the light-producing mechanism is not a moving object. As the Sun changes position, the angle of illumination changes. Ice crystals drift, clouds evolve, and the observer's viewpoint may shift. These factors can alter the length, brightness, and apparent shape of the column.
Imagine watching such a display for several minutes. The upper portion might become brighter while the lower portion fades. A narrow band could broaden, then disappear behind a cloud. The column might appear to tilt or separate into different streaks. Without understanding the underlying process, those changes could easily be interpreted as motion by an independent object.
There is, however, a limitation to this explanation. A solar pillar normally has a recognizable relationship with the Sun's position. If the original photographs showed the Sun far from the luminous form, with geometry inconsistent with the expected reflection, the solar-pillar hypothesis would become less convincing.
That is why scientists do not identify atmospheric phenomena solely by their visual resemblance to known examples. They examine the entire scene, including the position of the light source, the time of day, the weather, the camera orientation, and the way the appearance changes between frames.
A solar pillar is therefore a plausible starting point, not a confirmed answer.
The next possibility is particularly relevant to the rainbow-like colors in the images: the ability of ice crystals to bend and separate sunlight into distinct colors.