A dark sky fills most of this picture, centered on a massive column - resembling a tornado - of volcanic ash and fire surrounded by a web of lightning. Another lightning bolt is at the left-hand edge of the image.

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1. SETI Institute (setiinstitute@mastodon.social)'s status on Friday, 13-Sep-2024 16:09:02 JST SETI Institute

   #PPOD: This stunning photograph captures the most violent moment during an eruption of the Calbuco volcano in Chile. Volcanic lightning occurs in the plumes of eruptions when volcanic ash particles collide, generating static electricity. Additionally, water vapor in the plume condenses and freezes as it rises, adding ice to the mix. And voila! The eventual electrical discharge causes lightning. Credit: Francisco Negroni, https://www.francisconegroni.com/index

   #photography #volcano #science #scicomm