Mysterious 'light hole' filmed in sky

An unexplained beam of light has been filmed in the skies over northern California.

In the video, a bright stream of light appears to push through a hole in the clouds over Stockton, about 95km south of Sacramento.

The unusual cloud formation caught the eye of YouTube user Jamee Yang on Friday as the Stockton local pulled into their drive.

"We came home from work and saw there was a hole that has a mysterious colourful light coming down … it was changing colours," Yang wrote, along with two short clips of the spectacle.

"As we turn around I took a second glance, the light came down and it was brighter than before."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association said the phenomenon could be due to ice crystals penetrating the cloud cover and causing refracting light, but conceded they could not be sure.

Source: KUSA 9News, YouTube
Author: Chloe Ross, Approving editor: Jack Hawke