At the end of July, I was preparing to photograph the waning crescent Moon and decided to drive toward the small town of Bronte, on the western side of Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy). But before arriving, Etna awoke. Two fissures in its southeast crater erupted, creating separate lava flows as well as sporadic, pyroclastic jets. I could see the activity from the south-southwest slopes of Etna but chose not to get any closer.
To my surprise, from the spot where I was positioned, I could see that several spectacular lenticular clouds had formed over Etna's summit. The view of the clouds and the eruption was incredible, particularly when the Moon rose above the horizon. The most beautiful moment occurred when the Moon passed behind the edge of one of the clouds, allowing me to capture various celestial and terrestrial details, including the ashen Moon, individual stars, iridescence across the edge of the clouds, contrast of shadow and light in the sky, and finally Etna's eruption with the glowing lava fountains. Photo taken on the morning of July 28, 2019.
Photo Details: Camera: Canon EOS 6D; Software: Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 (Windows); Exposure Time: 4.000s; Aperture: f/2.8; ISO equivalent: 3200; Focal Length: 70.0mm.
Bronte, Italy Coordinates: 37.783333, 14.833333
Mount Etna, towering above Catania, Sicily's second largest city, has one of the world's longest documented records of historical volcanism, dating back to 1500 BCE. Historical lava flows of basaltic composition cover much of the surface of this massive volcano, whose edifice is the highest and most voluminous in Italy. The Mongibello stratovolcano, truncated by several small calderas, was constructed during the late Pleistocene and Holocene over an older shield volcano. The most prominent morphological feature of Etna is the Valle del Bove, a 5 x 10 km horseshoe-shaped caldera open to the east. Two styles of eruptive activity typically occur, sometimes simultaneously. Persistent explosive eruptions, sometimes with minor lava emissions, take place from one or more summit craters. Flank vents, typically with higher effusion rates, are less frequently active and originate from fissures that open progressively downward from near the summit (usually accompanied by Strombolian eruptions at the upper end). Cinder cones are commonly constructed over the vents of lower-flank lava flows. Lava flows extend to the foot of the volcano on all sides and have reached the sea over a broad area on the SE flank.
This volcano is located within the Mount Etna, a UNESCO World Heritage property.
