A fiery light column over Mount Etna

The unusual phenomenon was captured by photographer Giancarlo Tine, who observed the eruption of the Italian volcano Etna in mid-June. The frame shows how a bright column of light rises from the top of the mountain into the sky.

Most often, light pillars are observed in the atmosphere, when flat hexagonal or columnar ice crystals in the air reflect sunlight at sunrise or sunset, or moonlight, and sometimes colorful street lights. However, this light column was formed by the red light emitted by the incandescent magma of the erupting volcano.

The image was obtained using a single snapshot a few hours after sunset. The low temperature above the volcanic ash cloud contributed to the formation of ice crystals either in cirrus clouds high above the mountain or in condensed water vapor ejected by the volcano. These ice crystals reflected light from the caldera.

Mount Etna is located on the eastern coast of Sicily and is the highest active volcano in Europe.