August 19, 2019
Some stars end in silence, some in fire, and some leave behind the raw materials for birthdays.
Lenticular Clouds over Mount Etna
Birthday · August 19, 2019
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
Free PNG · 1080 × 1350 · No account needed
Image rights and credit requirements apply when sharing or reusing imagery.
Date & occasion only
Change the year
APOD published August 19, 2019. Credit: Dario Giannobile. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
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. Follow APOD in English on: Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, or Twitter
Image credit: Dario Giannobile