Fire in the Clouds
March 12, 2013
Photographer: P. Nikolakakos
Summary Authors: P. Nikolakakos; Jim Foster
The photo above shows clouds apparently erupting in flames above the snow capped peaks of the Taygetos Mountains in southern Greece. The west-facing flank of the Taygetos was shadowed as the Sun had already set, but the cumulus clouds draping the higher ridges (over 7,500 ft or 2,286 m) were lit up a few seconds longer. From my perspective, they briefly seemed to be on fire. The Taygetos Mountains, like most all mountain ranges in southern Europe, formed from repeated collisions of the Eurasian and African tectonic plates. In ancient Greece, Mount Taleton, reaching 7,897 ft (2,407 m), was dedicated to Helios, the Sun god. Photo taken from Sparta, Greece late in the afternoon of January 19, 2013.
Photo details: Camera Model: Canon EOS 7D; Lens: EF-S18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS; Focal Length: 110mm; Focus Distance: Infinite; Aperture: f/5.6; Exposure Time: 0.0040 s (1/250); ISO equiv: 200; Exposure Bias: -0.33 EV; Software: Adobe Photoshop CS5 Windows.