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Mountain shadow on clouds

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May 17, 2015

Mountain shadow on clouds, in Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands, by Roberto Porto. — Mountain shadow on clouds, in Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands, by Roberto Porto.

Barely above 3,000 feet (1,000 meters) in elevation, Roque del Conde – a tabletop mountain with a huge plateau on its top – is one of the landmarks of the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands of Spain. On May 9, 2015, Roberto Porto caught the photo above. It’s Roque del Conde’s shadow cast onto the low clouds at sunrise.

Roberto, who is a veterinary surgeon on Tenerife, told EarthSky that his bedroom window overlooks Roque del Conde. He said:

… the first thing every morning is to take a look at the sunrise over this Roque. Never before have I seen this atmospheric optics effect.

But, he said, he’s seen many other amazing sights in the vicinity of Roque del Conde on Tenerife, including red rainbows, virga and displays of mammatus clouds. A few of Roberto’s other photos below.

Lenticular cloud over Roque del Conde, on the island of Tenerife, by Roberto Porto. Click here for more photos and info on lenticular clouds.

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Red rainbow over Roque del Conde, by Roberto Porto. Click here for more photos and info on red rainbows.

Downpour of rain over Roque del Conde, by Roberto Porto.

By the way, Tenerife is apparently one of the best places on Earth to stargaze and skywatch generally. The UNESCO World Heritage Site’s Starlight Foundation – which aims to preserve clear skies – awarded Tenerife’s Teide National Park with the titles of Starlight Tourist Destination and Starlight Reserve. Read more about Tenerife’s dark skies.

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See more photos by Roberto Porto on Tenerife

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May 17, 2015

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Deborah Byrd

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About the Author:

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.