Licancabur volcano on the border of Bolivia and Chile

Licancabur volcano on the border of Bolivia and Chile

The Atacama Desert region of Chile possesses a rare, alien beauty. Licancabur is the stratovolcano that dominates the horizon here, rising to more than 19,000 feet in elevation. The clear skies of the high plain offer stunning views of the Milky Way to the naked eye, not to mention what can be seen from the many astronomical observatories in the area. And because of the cold, dry air, the rare instances of snow and ice collect, as seen here in the foreground, into many small, blade-like formations called penitentes, for their resemblance to hooded monks kneeling in penance.