Another Volcanic Sunset with Crepuscular Rays 6.09-6.50 pm.

On Monday 17th March, a short break from cloudy and rainy weather resulted in clear skies to the west of Mutare accompanied by the development of a volcanic sunset display between 6.09 and 6.50 pm. This included the development of a brightly colored post sunset twilight arch followed by radiating crepuscular rays which then receded to reveal a fainter pastel shaded late volcanic sunset twilight arch which lingered above the horizon until darkness approached. What is remarkable is the continued presence of spectacular volcanic sunsets three-and-a-quarter years after the massive Hunga-Tonga eruption in January 2022 ejected a huge plume of aerosols and water vapor 58km into the stratosphere and mesosphere. Patches must still be circulating to produce the spectacular displays being observed from Mutare this year.

Tripod-mounted Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 in sunset and manual exposure modes.

Selection of 12 images from timelapse sequence of 47 taken between 6.09 and 6.50 pm to produce photo montage.