Associated Press Yosemite National Park, Calif. – California’s Yosemite National Park is again wowing visitors and photographers with its annual “firefall.” Every February for a few days, the setting sun illuminates Horsetail Fall to make it glow like a cascade of molten lava. The natural wonder draws scores of people to Yosemite Valley for a spot near the waterfall, which flows down the granite face of the park’s famed rock formation, El Capitan. Horsetail Fall only flows in the winter or spring, when there is enough rain and snow. In February, the sun lights up the fall for only about two minutes at dusk. The best views are east of El Capitan along the main roads into and out of Yosemite Valley. Park officials say the natural phenomenon is expected to last through the weekend.<doc-sep>CLICK HERE if you are having a problem viewing the photos or video on a mobile device It’s that time of the year, when nature blows your mind in the middle of Yosemite National Park. The so-called “Firefall” is on display this week, a natural phenomenon where reflected sunlight makes Horsetail Fall light up like a glowing lava flow. It’s happening right now, but it won’t last long. You can join hundreds of other Firefall admirers at the park, but you’ll need to hurry up. Related Articles Insider’s Guide to Yosemite: Everything you need to know about the park 4 Yosemite adventures in Groveland, Hetch Hetchy and more The show, of course, is a dream-come-true for every photographer lucky enough to make the trip. Sangeeta Dey told CNN that this week marked his third visit to witness the magic light show; despite the waterfall’s flow reduced by the recent freezing temperatures, he said, “it was one of the most beautiful ones I have seen because of surrounding snow. It felt like fire in a frozen kingdom.” Dey is one in a long line of photographers and videographers who have captured the Firefall’s stunning imagery. Here are a few video examples: Tom Bricker, a veteran Yosemite photographer, offered up some background to Travel Caffeine about the Firefall: “Before I get to my tips for photographing Yosemite National Park’s Firefall, how about some background? The Firefall was made famous by Galen Rowell, who in his memoir Mountain Light detailed his scramble to photograph the Firefall when he spotted it in February 1973. Rowell’s Last Light on Horsetail Fall is the first known photo of the Firefall, and endures to this day as one of the most iconic photos in landscape photography. “Ironically enough, 1973 did not mark the first photo of a firefall in Yosemite National Park, just the first photo of the natural phenomenon. From 1872 until 1968, burning garbage was dumped from the top of Glacier Point to Yosemite Valley’s floor 3,000 feet below, which looked like a waterfall of fire (in reality, a flaming garbage-fall, but who’s keeping score?). This fire-fall occurred nightly at 9 p.m. in the summer, and was held by Glacier Point Hotel. In fitting irony, Glacier Point Hotel was destroyed by fire in 1969, and has not been rebuilt.” And here are some of Bricker’s tips for shooting the spectacle:<doc-sep>BREATHTAKING footage of Yosemite 'firefall' top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Nestled in California’s Sierra Nevada lies Yosemite, a national park famed for its natural beauty. Yosemite is known for the granite cliffs of El Capitan and its dramatic geothermal geysers. But onlookers have this week been awed by another natural phenomena at the park – Yosemite’s spectacular firefall. The rare firefall only occurs in the second half of February. This unique lighting effect happens only on evenings with a clear sky Yosemite spokesperson And a firefall is only present if sunset weather conditions are perfect at the Horsetail Fall. And crowds have this week been treated to cascading waterfall transformed to a gorgeous orange hue. The waterfall is small enough to mostly go unnoticed. READ MORE: Hunt for aliens ‘only just BEGINNING’ says top scientist Yosemite firefall: The phenomena requires perfect sunset weather conditions Yosemite firefall: The event happens only on evenings with a clear sky But the fall draws large crowds hoping to see the famous spectacle during the second half of February. The firefall’s brightness and colour depends on the clarity of the weather. A Yosemite spokesperson said: ”This unique lighting effect happens only on evenings with a clear sky, when the waterfall is flowing. “Even some haze or minor cloudiness can greatly diminish or eliminate the effect." READ MORE: Oumuamua interstellar object ‘COULD be alien ship’, warns professor ache Geyoghlian, a local photographer, described how he was nearly left speechless by the firefall. He said: "My reaction was complete amazement. I was overwhelmed with excitement to finally get to see it in person and get some good shots of it, too.” He said he and his friend arrived early to be able to capture the perfect shot. He added: "We got to that specific spot at about 2.30pm, and we were the first ones there. “That didn't last long, as the entire area filled with hundreds of people looking to witness/photograph the 'firefall'." READ MORE: Mars MYSTERY: NASA probes strange impact crater on red planet Yosemite firefall: Huge crowds were left speechless by the firefall Yosemite firefall: The stunning event only occurs in the second half of February And other onlookers flooded social media sites such as Instagram with their incredible snaps of the glowing firefall. This year’s treacherous weather has not stop the firefall from happening. However the weather is making the pilgrimage to see it laborious and even potentially dangerous. Ryan Fitzsimons, another photographer said: “What would have been a 10-minute walk normally turned into a two-hour trek through waist-deep snow. READ MORE: Was Einstein WRONG? Scientists aim to disprove theory of gravity<doc-sep>
(CNN) — The natural phenomenon that makes it appear that lava is flowing over a cliff at Yosemite National Park is back, but only for a few days. "Firefall" is the name for the natural magic trick that creates the illusion at the park in California . It comes to life when the setting sun causes light to hit the waterfall at just the right angle. You can only see "Firefall" for a short time in February, and it draws hundreds of visitors each night. How it looks varies from year to year, and relies on how much water is flowing in Horsetail Fall. Vaché Geyoghlian, a photographer from Fresno, California, captured some Instagram-worthy images Monday night. It was his first time photographing the phenomenon. "My reaction was complete amazement," he told CNN. "I was overwhelmed with excitement to finally get to see it in person AND get some good shots of it too." "My friend and I got to that specific spot at about 2:00-2:30 p.m. and we were the first ones there," Geyoghlian said. "That didn't last long as the entire area filled with hundreds of people looking to witness/photograph the 'Firefall.'" If you want to capture the yearly spectacle, you have until this weekend before it dissipates. Reservations are not needed, but you should get there early before the park gets crowded. "We have a designated parking area at Yosemite Lodge and visitors walk from there to the viewing areas," said National Park Service spokesman Scott Gediman. A crowd gathers ahead of sun set to capture the 'Firefall.' magicphoto78/Instagram Gediman also cautions that weather has played a factor into viewing this year's "Firefall." "With the snow and storm activity recently, it has been hit or miss."