Mysterious rings rise above Mount Etna

Volcanic smoke rings are rare, especially when this numerous, and scientists weren't sure until recently how they formed.

They're not UFOs, angel halos, a bit of Gandalf wizardry or a "giant smoking and blowing rings," as one commenter joked.

The series of otherworldly photos Maria Liotta took from her home in Bronte, Sicily, Italy, on April 5, 2024, show a bizarre phenomenon known as "volcanic smoke rings."

The rings arose from Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano. Etna rises 11,000 feet above the island of Sicily in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. The volcano erupts frequently, and its explosions have been documented for more than 3,500 years.

Until recently, how the smoke rings form wasn't well understood. Formation requires a calm atmosphere and a circular volcanic vent. And, technically, it isn't really smoke. When hot volcanic gases are released suddenly from the vent in a short pulse, the gases rush upwards and create a cloud, not unlike plane contrails. While the smoke rings have been documented at volcanoes worldwide, multiple displays like this one are extremely rare.