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Incredible photo shows a lightning bolt hitting an erupting volcano in Guatemala

A DRAMATIC photo has captured the moment a lightning bolt struck an erupting volcano.

Photographer Sergio Montúfar took the snap as volcanic ash spewed from the top of Volcán de Pacaya, an active volcano in Central America.

 A lightning bolt striking an erupting volcano in Guatemala
A lightning bolt striking an erupting volcano in GuatemalaCredit: SWNS:South West News Service

Sergio had planned to photograph lava pouring from the Guatemala landmark after a weather forecast predicted clear skies.

He said: "I wanted to get the Milky Way over Volcán de Pacaya but the terrible storm didn't let me.

"We expected clear skies, but that never happened and we got caught by the rain.

"When the storm stopped and the clouds disappeared the volcano started displaying this amazing and breathtaking thunderstorm, so I decided to capture it.


"I have never seen so many lighting strikes coming from the top of Volcán de Agua."

Exactly what causes lightning remains a mystery to scientists after decades of research.

It's thought that volcanic eruptions can encourage storms because ash particles attract and collect water droplets, which fall as rain.

It's thought the collisions of some particles may create a charge which attracts lightning.

What is lightning?

  • Lightning is formed when water and ice move around inside a cloud
  • Like when rubbing a balloon creates static electricity, the particles rubbing together in the cloud form an electrical charge
  • The charges separate in the cloud with the positive charges moving up and the negative charges moving down
  • Once the charges have been separated for a significant amount of time, pressure builds for them to rush back together
  • A pathway is created where the charges can come back together and this pathway forms a spark which neutralises the charge in the cloud
  • When the negative charges race downwards the surrounding air heats up and creates a shock wave which is the lightning that we see

Sergio, who got into astrophotography when he was 29, said capturing the scene was life-changing.

"It taught me not to be negative under some situations because I was angry about the storm, but I never expected it to be this amazing."

Around 6,000 lightning bolts occur around the world every minute, according to Nasa.

A recent study suggested that apocalyptic lightning strikes forced our ancient ancestors in Africa to climb down from the trees and start walking on two feet.

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What do you think of the photo? let us know in the comments...
