Top Secret Laser Weapon or a Meteorological Phenomenon? Russian Residents Puzzled by a Pillar of Light Shining in the Dark Sky

Newsweek reported that residents in Belgorod, Russia had been puzzled by the pillar of light rising into the cloudy night sky. On October 4 and 5, images and videos of this mysterious yellow beam of light shining in the dark sky were posted and went viral on social media outlets. But what could it be?

Numerous possible explanations floated as to what could the pillar of light would be, including a Russian laser weapon that was unveiled in 2018. Meanwhile, some also said that it could be a natural meteorological phenomenon. Belgorod is about 25 miles north of the border between Russia and Ukraine.

Did Russia Use A Laser Weapon to Burn Satellites Above Ukraine?

Given Russia's current conflict with Ukraine, explanations regarding the yellow beam of light focused on the possible laser weapon of the former. One Twitter user wrote that the pillar of light is the work of the anti-satellite laser weapon of Russia called Peresvet.

Moreover, Russian news outlets like the Komsomolskaya Pravda uploaded a video of the phenomenon on YouTube with the caption: "A test of a top-secret weapon or a common natural phenomenon? Residents of Belgorod are at a loss."

There was also an online article by Moscow newspaper Moskovskij Komsomolets on October 5 that claimed military correspondent Andrey Rudenko had said that the military was using "the latest weapons of the Russian Federation" when the pillar of light appeared that night.

The new weapon suspected of the light was using a new generation of powerful lasers to burn up drones above Ukraine, and as a countermeasure against the flood of Western arms, Reuters reported. In 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled the country's new set of weapons, including an intercontinental ballistic missile, underwater nuclear drones, supersonic weapons, and laser weapons.

Not much is known about the laser weapon, but Putin mentioned the Peresvet, named after the medieval Orthodox warrior Alexander Peresvet who died in combat. This might suggest that the Peresvet caused the light, but it is not yet confirmed as there could be another reason behind it.

Meteorological Reason Behind the Beam of Yellow Light

According to the military news website ArmyRecognition.com, Perseveret is in service and under development. Some social media users noted that it would be unlikely that a beam is targeting a moving space satellite. So, some suggest that a natural phenomenon could cause light.

Russian news outlet RBC cited weather specialist Mikhail Leus who said that light pillars observed in the sky are an optical phenomenon in the atmosphere, a type of halo created by the refraction of light on ice crystals. This is possible when the Sun or Moon is located low above the horizon during sunrise or sunset or because of the area's greenhouses.

Professor Ken Carslaw from the University of Leeds in the UK told Newsweek that he also thinks a natural phenomenon is possible. These clouds with flat ice crystals are horizontally aligned so that it reflects downwards in the same direction above a light source.

These are phenomena that happen when ice is present, and Belgorod is currently about 11 degrees Celsius, which means ice clouds could be present at that time. Similar columns of light have also been reported before in Belgorod and have been explained as a natural phenomenon by experts in meteorology, which might also mean that it could also be the same in this case too.

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