A photo is going viral on X, captivating and baffling millions. The surreal night sky image from Japan, uploaded by Masashi Sasaki (nicknamed Mashi) on May 11, 2024, has garnered over 12 million views.
Representative Image Source: Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Mashi captured a rare phenomenon in the night sky of a coastal town, sharing it with the caption, “A streak of light was spotted in the sky above Mikuriya Port in Daisen Town, Tottori at around 10 pm today.” The image shows nine eerie pillars of glowing white light hanging in the sky like magical wands.
The picture left over 70,000 people in awe. Some compared it to scenes from the anime “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” while others likened it to sci-fi movies. Viewers described the pillars as “divine” and “sacred.” @kohinata_87 wondered if it was an aurora, translating roughly to, “Aurora? The white light was amazing and visible even in Tottori. Beautiful and mysterious.” @shirlen_ray called it a glimpse of “paradise.”
@megroom22 exclaimed it looked like “an entrance to a mysterious world!” Some thought the lights were bad omens. “What is this!? It feels like you might be abducted by aliens,” said @ariimom. Thankfully, it was neither. Mashi, a travel producer, explained to Japanese publication Hint-pot that locals call this phenomenon "Isaribi Kochu."
Representative Image Source: Tracers and flares leave streaks in the night sky. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
According to Japan Today, "Isaribi Kochu" literally means "fish-attracting light pillars." "Isaribi" refers to the lights that are placed on fishing boats to attract more catches. The practice is fairly common in squid fishing. The light from fishing boats operating offshore at night refracts into the sky, producing vertical light pillars.
Representative Image Source: Pexels | orlovamaria
These light pillars are optical phenomena caused by the refraction of light from ice crystals, per AccuWeather. The gleaming pillars tend to take on the color of the light source such as a street light. CBS News further explained that these light pillars require really cold temperatures to form, but they can sometimes thrive in temperatures a little warmer than 0°F.
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Akshar Dave
Humidity and winds blend to create hexagonal-shaped ice crystals that get suspended in the air. In cold regions, the flurry of crystals may form a cluster near the ground. When the light from the surface hits these crystals, it gets refracted. The refraction results in the appearance of the light pillars. Mashi told Hint-pot that he saw this coruscating scene in front of his house and immediately picked up his mobile phone to take a photo. “I’ve received a variety of comments about the scenery that can be seen while living in Tottori, and I think it’s interesting that each person has a different way of looking at it,” he added.
Mashi, however, isn’t the only person to have witnessed this brilliant phenomenon. A person who goes as @totoro8201 on X, commented on Mashi’s post, sharing a similar “light pillars” photograph. “I also saw it at Nariishi Beach in Kotoura Town," their caption read.
琴浦町の鳴り石の浜でも、見ました😳 pic.twitter.com/bFxmIUhSdJ
— あーちゃん (@totoro8201) May 11, 2024
Rice grain and white rice.Image via 
Person eats rice.Image via 
Washing and rinsing rice. 
Mother and daughter eating rice meal.Image via 
Bees feeding on food source.Image via 
In the depths...Pexels | francesco ungaro
Hope the lights stay on. Pexels | parfait fongang
"That was beyond crazy..." YouTube | 
"This is the stuff of my nightmares..."YouTube | 
"Totally blown away..." YouTube | 
A representative Image of The Atlantic Ocean. Source: Pexels | Kellie Churchman
Representative Image Source: Painting from a series by Ernest Untermann in the museum at Dinosaur National Monument, Utah.
Representative Image Source: VARIOUS DINOSAURS IN GOBI DESERT. Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images
Great white shark pokes its head above water.Image pulled from YouTube video - Photo taken by Geraldine Fernandez
Great white shark swims in the ocean.Image via Canva - Photo by lindsay_imagery
President Donald J. Trump and photo of a forest.
Public united and adamantly opposes Trump’s plan to roll back the Roadless Rule
There doesn't seem to be much agreement happening in the U.S. right now. Differing moral belief systems, economic disparity, and political divide have made a country with so many positives sometimes feel a little lost. Everyone desperately seeks a niche, a connection, or a strong sense of community to which they can feel a "part of," rather than just "apart."
But there seems to be one thing that the country strongly unites over, and that's the "Roadless Rule." With the Trump Administration attempting to roll back conservation policies that protect U.S. National Forests, Americans are saying in harmony an emphatic "No." A nonpartisan conservation and advocacy organization, the Center for Western Priorities, reviewed a comment analysis on the subject. After receiving 223,862 submissions, a staggering 99 percent are opposed to the president's plan of repeal.
What is the 'Roadless Rule' policy implemented in 2001?
The Roadless Rule has a direct impact on nearly 60 million acres of national forests and grasslands. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rule prohibits road construction and timber harvests. Enacted in 2001, it is a conservation rule that protects some of the least developed portions of our forests. It's considered to be one of the most important conservation wins in U.S. history.
America's national forests and grasslands are diverse ecosystems, timeless landscapes, and living treasures. They sustain the country with clean water and the wood products necessary to build our communities. The National Parks protected under their umbrella offer incredible recreational retreats and outdoor adventure.
Why does the administration want to roll it back?
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins told the Department of Agriculture in a 2025 press release, “We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands. Today marks a critical step forward in President Trump’s commitment to restoring local decision-making to federal land managers to empower them to do what’s necessary to protect America’s forests and communities from devastating destruction from fires." Rollins continued, “This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America. It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come. We look forward to hearing directly from the people and communities we serve as we work together to implement productive and commonsense policy for forest land management.”
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz explained the Roadless Rule frustrated land management and acts as a challenging barrier to action. It prohibits road construction needed to navigate wildfire suppression and properly maintain the forest. Schultz said, “The forests we know today are not the same as the forests of 2001. They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, mortality, insect-borne disease, and wildfire. It’s time to return land management decisions where they belong – with local Forest Service experts who best understand their forests and communities."
Why are people adamantly opposed to the proposed rollback?
A 2025 article in Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, expressed its concern over the protection of national forests covering 36 states and Puerto Rico. A rescinded rule allows increased logging, extractive development, and oil and gas drilling in previously undisturbed backcountry. Here is what some community leaders had to say about it:
President Gloria Burns, Ketchikan Indian Community, said, "You cannot separate us from the land. We depend on Congress to update the outdated and predatory, antiquated laws that allow other countries and outside sources to extract our resource wealth. This is an attack on Tribes and our people who depend on the land to eat. The federal government must act and provide us the safeguards we need or leave our home roadless. We are not willing to risk the destruction of our homelands when no effort has been made to ensure our future is the one our ancestors envisioned for us. Without our lungs (the Tongass) we cannot breathe life into our future generations.”
Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, stated, "Roadbuilding damaged salmon streams in the past — with 240 miles of salmon habitat still blocked by failed road culverts. The Roadless Rule protects our fishing economy and more than 10,000 jobs provided by commercial fishing in Southeast Alaska.”
The Sierra Club's Forest Campaign Manager Alex Craven seemed quite upset, saying, "The Forest Service followed sound science, economic common sense, and overwhelming public support when they adopted such an important and visionary policy more than 20 years ago. Donald Trump is making it crystal clear he is willing to pollute our clean air and drinking water, destroy prized habitat for species, and even increase the risk of devastating wildfires, if it means padding the bottom lines of timber and mining companies.”
The 2025 recession proposal would apply to nearly 45 million acres of the national forests. With so many people writing in opposition to the consensus, the public has determined they don't want it to happen.
Tongass National Forest is at the center of the Trump administration's intention to roll back the 2001 Roadless Rule. You can watch an Alaska Nature Documentary about the wild salmon of Tongass National Forrest here:
- YouTube www.youtube.com
The simple truth is we elect our public officials to make decisions. The hope is they do this for all of our well-being, although often it seems they do not. Even though we don't have much power to control what government officials do, voicing our opinions strongly enough often forces them to alter their present course of action. With a unanimous public voice saying, "No!" maybe this time they will course correct as the public wishes.