Mercury in Volcanic Dusk Sky

The photo shows planet Mercury (center) below Alpha Leonis in pink volcanic dusk skies. The intensified glow of the sky, together with the presence of crepuscular arches in addition to the exotic pink and purple colors we have observed several times since May, suggest that lingering traces of aerosol plumes from the April`s stratospheric eruptions of the Ruang Volcano. The violent explosions injected 0.3 Mton of sulfate dioxide in the stratosphere. By now, hydrogen sulfate molecules must have become one of the major constituents of the plumes.

Nikon CoolPix P1000 camera

PhotoScape freeware used to optimize contrast and sharpness.