"Flying saucers" have been snapped hovering over Mount Etna in Sicily, illuminated by the bright red glow of the volcano's red hot lava.
These strange, unnatural looking clouds are known as "lenticular clouds".
They are formed when moist air is forced to flow upwards near a mountain or volcano, causing the water vapour to condense in curved layers.
Lenticular clouds often form in the traditional shape of spaceships in science fiction, and are believed to be one of the most common explanations for UFO sightings across the world.
The photo was captured by chance late last month when the astrophotographer Dario Giannobile went to Mount Etna to photograph the conjunction between the Moon and the star Aldebaran.
The Moon can be seen in a bright crescent phase, illuminating an edge of the lower lenticular cloud, while the molten lava from the volcano gives the scene a vibrant red glow.
A companion time-lapse video of the scene (above) shows the lenticular clouds forming and wavering as stars trail far in the distance.
Mount Etna is the most active volcano in Europe.
It last erupted at the end of May, shooting streams of lava into the sky, and has since been spewing out plumes of smoke and ash.
The volcano was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 and attracts thousands of visitors a year.
