Photo Captures Volcano Erupting Into The Milky Way

Dutch photographer Albert Dros needed just the right elements to capture his awe-inducing shot of Guatemala's Fuego volcano. And when he finally got it, the photo appeared to show the volcano erupting straight into the Milky Way.

The 31-year-old photographer took the shot from the nearby Acatenango volcano in the small town of Antingua, Guatemala near the end of March.

He cataloged in a blog post the hard work and preparation that went into capturing the perfect photo. After a 30-hour plane trip to his destination, Dros needed just the right date for the Milky Way to rise next to the volcano, a clear night with no clouds, a moon large enough for good visibility, and most importantly, luck.

"My research paid off, and all the elements I needed to create the shot I wanted slowly started to line up -- it's a great feeling when things go as planned," he wrote. "When it began to get dark, the real show started. As Fuego kept erupting, the glowing lava now became visible."

Dros said "it looked like something you would normally only see in the movies."

His extensive catalog of photographs is full of striking images of exotic landscapes and architecture and he often writes about how to best shoot certain scenes. Despite his veteran skills, Dros was still struck by the beauty of his surroundings when he captured the Fuego volcano.

"When I saw the volcano erupting up close, combined with the powerful sound it made, I was just paralyzed," he wrote. "This was amazing. It was literally one of the most impressive natural phenomenon I had ever seen."

And despite the awe-inducing shot, Dros said it was nothing compared to the real thing.

"All of the images you see here still don't do justice to the reality," he wrote. "Seeing the volcano erupt at night is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen."