The Bending Light Rays Made a Right-Angle Turn

Photo date: January 26, 2016. Photographer: Mark Mahin.

The photo below was taken in Grand Central Terminal in New York.  We see an example of the strange phenomenon I call the light metamorphosis, in which light rises up mysteriously, often making strange twists and turns.  Here we see the astonishing sight of light rays that move to the left and then make a sharp 90 degree turn, rising way up after the turn.  Such an effect is naturally inexplicable.

The digital camera was held stable while the flash photo was taken, as you can see from the sharp, non-streaked appearance of all details other than the light rays. The exposure time was only 1/30 of a second (no "Night Photo" settings were used). Open the photo in a separate browser tab to see it at higher resolution.

Another photo from the same day showed the light rays getting all squiggly at this location.

See here for 24 posts showing this bizarre phenomenon.