Star Trails Above Mount Etna

During the afternoon of 2021 February 16, Etna began an extremely intense eruptive phase. For days, its summit craters, including most of all the new south-east crater, showed an important eruptive activity that mainly manifested itself with the release of dust and sporadic explosions of a Strombolian character accompanied by lava fountains. At about 5 pm a very important column of ashes rose from the new south-east crater accompanied by an equally important increase in volcanic tremor (see the attached file). Together with the cloud, which in the meantime had extended to such an extent as to reach the province of Syracuse, the crater poured out an extensive lava flow which, in a short time, reached the valley of the Bove (ox) flowing on its slopes. The lava fountains were so tall and intense that they were visible even from a distance and in sunlight. Seeing what was happening, I headed for the volcano in hopes of photographing the night sky and the lava flow. The first shots were taken at the Piano Vetore locality and show the activity in progress at the new south-east crater taken with a strong magnification. Behind the blanket of dust it is possible to see the stars that, during the exhibition, have drawn a star trail. Later I moved to Monte Zoccolaro reaching the edge of the Bove Valley. From there I photographed the lava flow that, flowing, had drawn a 5-pointed star as if to reflect the beauty of the starry sky on earth. During the shots, a brilliant meteor plowed through the framed field to finish its run right above the erupting crater (it is possible to notice the color variation from green to red). The landscapes is characterized by stripes of black lava (the sciara) mixed with black dust and snow. The evening ended with two more takes. The first shows the beauty of the lava fountains and the rocks that settle on the top of the crater. The lava together with the stars have drawn luminous traces in the sky in one case of fire and in the other case of starlight to bear witness to the energy that pervades the cosmos! The last shot instead shows another meteor, not as bright as the first, above the volcanic landscape crossed by a tongue of fire of the lava flow.

Canon 6d, Canon 70-200mm, f/2.8, Iso 640, 30 sec, 8 shots