Rare 'supernatural-like' light show spotted over Canada

Giant pillars of light like something from 'Star Trek' stretching into the Canadian night sky led a father on a midnight chase to film the natural phenomenon.

The event known as light pillars was recorded in Sudbury, Ontario by photographer Timothy Joseph Elzinga who witnessed the natural spectacle at 1:30am earlier this week.

National Geographic reports light pillars are formed when small flat sheets of ice float motionless just above the ground, refracting nearby light sources.

The refractions create giant beams of light that look similar to brightly coloured lasers soaring into the sky.

Elzinga first thought the phenomenon was an unusual display of the Northern Lights and got in his truck to investigate.

"We can blame the two-year-old. He started crying at 1:30am, so I got up and soothed him... and out the window I had the perfect view of these dancing lights in the sky," Timothy Joseph Elzinga told CBC.

"I had to investigate. I got some pants on and ran outside and took some photos."

As he approached the display the lights disappeared. However, on his trip him he spotted the phenomenon again which he was able to capture on camera with a long exposure shot.

"It looked like someone from Star Trek was trying to beam people up," Elzinga said.

"It was very bright in person. like nothing I've ever seen. It almost seemed supernatural."