The Colima volcano in Mexico is active again, and has been spewing out large plumes of ash nearly 3 kilometers into the air. Astrophotographer César Cantú captured this spectacular picture of lightning slicing through the cloud of ash.
How can lightning strike in an ash cloud? Through friction, particles of the ash can charge each other by rubbing against each other during the eruption. When the energy is discharged, it can create lightning bolts.
The Colima volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in Mexico, and is also called ‘Volcán de Fuego’ or ‘Fire volcano.’ It has erupted more than 40 times since the first documented eruption in 1576.
The latest news on this current eruption is that local authorities have put the volcano on a yellow alert, meaning the volcano is showing increased activity, and residents who live nearby should prepare for a possible evacuation.
Stay safe César, and thanks for sharing your image with Universe Today! See a larger version on his website here.
This is probably one of the ideal volcanoes to get to. You fly into Guadalajara and it is 60 miles south, just off their Autopista (Interstate); It makes a great day trip from your hotel in GDL. There is an extinct volcano next to this one that has vertical shards that reach 4000-km.+ abs that sits within 30 miles of it an you can look right down it’s throat from an observatory that sits on top of its throat. You can park in a parking lot and walk the…summit. I have seen it spit some smoke and a little lava in the past, but nothing like this… Just wish I had some vacation at the moment to go see it. If you want to go, there is an Olympic training base camp on top of the mountain in the park and an excellent Rain Forest on the way up with virgin growth (trees pristine) to view on the way to the top of the planet. 🙂 Enjoy!
Nice to see mother nature at work instead of the negative news.
Great photo and very interesting.
Looks like Zeus and Hades are quarreling.