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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Lenticular Clouds over Mount Etna
Explanation: What's happening above that volcano? Although Mount Etna is seen erupting, the clouds are not related to the eruption . They are lenticular clouds formed when moist air is forced upwards near a mountain or volcano . The surreal scene was captured by chance late last month when the astrophotographer went to Mount Etna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sicily , Italy , to photograph the conjunction between the Moon and the star Aldebaran . The Moon appears in a bright crescent phase , illuminating an edge of the lower lenticular cloud. Red hot lava flows on the right. Besides some breathtaking stills, a companion time-lapse video of the scene shows the lenticular clouds forming and wavering as stars trail far in the distance.
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| Date | August 19, 2019 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Image Credit & Copyright: Dario Giannobile |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |