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APOD: Light Pillar over Volcanic Etna (2021 Nov 15)
Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2021 5:05 am
by APOD Robot
Light Pillar over Volcanic Etna
Explanation: What happening above that volcano? Something very unusual -- a volcanic
light pillar. More typically, light pillars are caused by sunlight and so appear as a bright column that extends upward above a rising or setting
Sun. Alternatively, other light pillars --
some quite colorful -- have been recorded above street and house lights. This light
pillar, though, was illuminated by the red light emitted by the glowing magma of an
erupting volcano. The volcano is
Italy's
Mount Etna, and the
featured image was
captured with a single shot a few hours after sunset in mid-June. Freezing temperatures above the volcano's
ash cloud created
ice-crystals either in
cirrus clouds high above the volcano -- or in condensed water vapor expelled by
Mount Etna. These
ice crystals -- mostly
flat toward the ground but fluttering -- then reflected away light from the
volcano's caldera.
Re: APOD: Light Pillar over Volcanic Etna (2021 Nov 15)
Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2021 1:02 pm
by orin stepanek
Holy Moly; Fire in the hole!! for real! Beautiful photo of volcano and
light pillar!
I need someone to light my fire!
![🔥](//cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/twitter/twemoji@latest/assets/svg/1f525.svg)
Re: APOD: Light Pillar over Volcanic Etna (2021 Nov 15)
Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2021 1:44 pm
by bls0326
Great picture. Reminded me of a scene in the Raiders of the Lost Ark movie.
Re: APOD: Light Pillar over Volcanic Etna (2021 Nov 15)
Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2021 6:48 pm
by gwagwa
Woah!!!!!! That's a fierce beast!
![scared :ohno:](./images/smilies/ohno.gif)
Re: APOD: Light Pillar over Volcanic Etna (2021 Nov 15)
Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2021 9:17 pm
by johnnydeep
Ok, the light pillar - and its cause - are cool, but what's causing the diagonal shaft of red light seemingly down the volcano's side to the right?
Re: APOD: Light Pillar over Volcanic Etna (2021 Nov 15)
Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2021 10:24 pm
by neufer
johnnydeep wrote: ↑Mon Nov 15, 2021 9:17 pm
Ok, the light pillar - and its cause - are cool, but what's causing
the diagonal shaft of red light seemingly down the volcano's side to the right?
Camera artifact
![Question :?:](./images/smilies/icon_question.gif)
Re: APOD: Light Pillar over Volcanic Etna (2021 Nov 15)
Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2021 10:26 pm
by Ironwood
Same as the OPOD for the past three months.