ikenbot:

Cumulonimbus Cloud Spawning Lightning

Jaw-dropping composite photo of a cumulonimbus cloud spawning lightning below and with star trails above.

The mountain getting electrocuted is Bald Mountain, which is southeast of Lake Tahoe. This is actually a combination of a sequence of pictures that were part of a time lapse video shooting, which is how the star trails were captured as well.

Cumulonimbus Cloud is a towering vertical cloud (family D2) that is very tall, dense, and involved in thunderstorms and other inclement weather. Cumulonimbus originates from Latin: Cumulus “heap” and nimbus “cloud”. It is a result of atmospheric instability. These clouds can form alone, in clusters, or along a cold front in a squall line. They can create lightning and other dangerous severe weather. [*]

(Source: kenobi-wan-obi)