Sky lights up over Sicily as Mount Etna's Voragine crater erupts
by Ian Sample Science editor from on (#WJ5Y)
Display of volcanic lightning inside giant smoke and ash cloud over Europe's tallest active volcano is Voragine crater's first eruption in two years
The night sky lights up over the east coast of Sicily as Mount Etna's Voragine crater erupts for the first time in two years. The giant plume of smoke and ash thrown up by the blast creates a dazzling display of volcanic lightning, a mysterious phenomenon seen in many of the most powerful volcanic eruptions.
It is thought that ash particles rubbing together inside the cloud could lead to the buildup of an electric charge that triggers the lightning strikes, much as a weak charge builds up on a balloon rubbed on a jumper.
