Bromo at Dawn

[OzEclipse]

Volcanic ash, clouds of steam mixed with sulfur dioxide billow off Mt Bromo, Java, Indonesia passing behind Batok, the dormant volcano in the foreground. A trail of lights lead up to the crater rim of Mt Bromo as hundreds climb to watch sunrise from the rim. This photo was taken on the first day the climb was reopened (March 13, 2016) following the November 2015 eruption. Behind Batok and Mt Bromo in the distance is Semeru, the largest volcano and highest peak on Java. A small puff of ash and steam emanating from Semeru is illuminated by the glowing magma. In the far distance, a large thunderstorm is in progress, the anvil and lightning seen in this exposure. Framed by the milky way. At latitude -8, the south celestial pole sits just above and to the left of Semeru.

I would have liked to have more of the base of the mountain in the picture however there was vegetation blocking it.
Larger image here :

http://joe-cali.com/eclipses/PAST/TSE2016/

Joe Cali

[Rick Parrott]

Fire and Sky in one shot? Brilliant!

[Mick]

Beautiful image, Java is an amazing place to visit.

[CJ]

Beautiful shot!

[OzEclipse]

Thanks very much Chris, Michael & Rick.

Rick, it wasn't one shot. It is a composite.

The lightening, stars, and Mt Bromo were in one 30 s exposure, the puff of steam lit red was 4 mins later. The landscape was black in the 30s exposure so I added 7 images to get some detail on the land.

I should have added the exposure and processing details in my post. When I posted, I'd been on the overnight flight from Jakarta all night, didn't sleep, was waiting at Sydney airport for a connection and needed to find something to do to keep me awake.

Camera : Pentax K5 DSLR ISO 3200
Pentax 12-24mm ED AL (IF) operating as 12mm

Sky, stars, Mt Bromo and lightning................30s @ f4 x1 sub
Red gaseous eruption Semeru.......................30s @ f4 x1 sub (taken 4 mins later)
Landscape around base of Bromo & Batok......30s @ f4 x7 subs (taken over a 10 min period)

Joe Cali

[Ric]

Lovely work Joe

That is an amazing photo