Moonlight Silhouette of Erupting Volcán de Fuego and Acatenango
September 29, 2021
Photographer: David Rojas
Summary Author: David Rojas; Cadan Cummings
The impressive night photo above shows the Volcán de Fuego (“Volcano of Fire”) erupting next to a crescent moon visible momentarily before transiting behind the Acatenango Volcano. Located adjacent to the town of Antigua, Guatemala, Volcán de Fuego is a 12,346 ft (3,763 m) tall stratovolcano that has been erupting regularly since 2002. Together the Volcán de Fuego and neighboring Acatenango Volcano make up the complex named La Horqueta. The most recent series of severe eruptions occurred at Volcán de Fuego in 1974 and 2018. Part of the most recent round of smaller eruptions, the photo above taken on July 17, 2021 shows an ash cloud rising above the volcano with small lava flows streaming down its side. The timing of this dramatic shot could not have been better with the moon’s disk visible at the edge of the volcanic cone and its light illuminating the silhouettes of both volcanoes.