Startling photo of volcanic lightning

Your-Shot Weekly-Wrapper 2011 Img 1011Wallpaper-Week-3-1 1600

No, this is not a still from the Radiers of the Lost Ark scene when the ark is opened, but an absolutely magnificent image of southern Chile's Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcano spewing lightning-topped ash. Wow. Ricardo Mohr's photo was selected as one of National Geographic's "Pictures We Love: Best of October."

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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mwiik

Large hi-rez version for desktop background please?
- ehuelga
  
  http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/your-shot/weekly-wrapper/2011/img/1011wallpaper-week-3-1_1600.jpg
  - mwiik
    
    Thanks!
Tyler Roy-Hart

i love living in an era where “volcanic lightning photos” are a legit sub-genre…..this doesn’t quite have the full-on Balrog thing going like the last highly publicized batch did, but still epic (if a bit tiny)
Brainspore

Chile, huh? That must be where ’80s metal band album cover artists vacation.
http://twitter.com/Applemask_ Matthew Harris

This is the ultimate photograph. No-one should ever take a photograph again. All cameras should be destroyed.
mappo

We must prepare for the coming of Gozer.
- chellberty
  
  does this photo mean that Bill Murray is no longer holding up the new ghostbusters film or reboot?
http://twitter.com/shirapwhite shira p. white

this is beautiful WOW!
xenphilos

(Starts listening to Bohemian Rhapsody)
ChickenDelicious

‘Shopped. I can tell from the FLAMING, ELECTRIFIED DEATH FROM ABOVE.
- Michael McConney
  
  volcanic lightning is not science fiction, but this pitcture is not the best volcanic lightning picture the chile volcano picture is much better than this…
  
  http://beverleygee.blogspot.com/2011/06/volcanic-lightning.html
  
  (2nd image on the page).
http://www.brigidashwood.com Brigid Ashwood

Wicked!
skeptacally

so you’re trying to tell me that there’s not a hell-spawned demon in the middle of that thing? i refuse to believe it.
Guest

Awesome Sauce
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stefan_e_jones/ Stefan Jones

As if a blizzard of lightening strikes caused by a volcano weren’t bad enough, this sort of thing causes all birds within a fifty mile radius to take to the air and void their bowels.
http://www.paradea.org/notes/ Teirhan

*makes lightning noises*

keww! keww!
Antinous / Moderator

“Nay, this is no weather of the world. This is some device of his malice, some broil of fume from the Mountain of Fire that he sends to darken hearts and council.”
jlargentaye

High-res pic from National Geographic

edit: oops, hadn’t seen ehuelga’s post
Spriggan_Prime

SO that’s where I left that!
woodly

God’s Goatse
http://www.jjsaul.com Jim Saul

Imagine the rich mythological life of civilizations who arose in the presence of that.

Sun-staring desert death-cults are just great and all, but the classic quote would have been much more interesting if the author had said “When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in a leopard skin and riding a giant feathered snake out of a lighting-crowned cloud of volcanic ash.”
http://twitter.com/sarah_no_cal sarah_no_cal

“Radiers” 1st line. It’s a curse..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stefan_e_jones/ Stefan Jones

I want to belong to a civilization that terraforms planets and then hosts parties on them where everyone sits on blankets and sets these volcano lightning storms off for fun.
Jack Daniel

Awe.
echolocate chocolate

KABLLLLLOOWOWWWWWWWWWW!!! PSSSHHHWWWWAAAAAWWwwmmmmm krrrssshh psshhooomm krssshhh!!!!

rumble rumble!!
http://halfbakedmaker.org Robert Baruch

Yeah, if I lived 10,000 years ago and I saw that, I’d be like, “I better worship that thing. Now.”