Rare natural phenomenon awaits: Photographers flock to California's "Fire Waterfall".

It looks deceptively real like a stream of lava emerging from the surface - but it's perfectly lit water.

This natural phenomenon is in California again this year.

Munich / Yosemite - A waterfall of fire: What sounds like a magic spell from a fantasy novel is a real phenomenon that occurs in Yosemite National Park, California, in the United States of America.

The Horsetail Fall looks so red in certain conditions that it glows like lava when it falls from 450 meters.

Photographers continue to flock to the park this February to capture the few minutes each year that Horsetail Fall turns a fiery orange.

The case is therefore also nicknamed "Firefall".

But the rare spectacle does not consist of flames, but needs other "ingredients" to be lured out.

One of them is the right light, which creates the optical illusion.

The decisive factor is the position of the sun on the rock formation El Capitan.

Five to 15 minutes before sunset, the celestial body has to illuminate the waterfall from the perfect angle.

That would only work in February and October.

In the tenth month, however, it is too dry for the waterfall - so only February remains, more precisely the second half of February.

Season, sun, clouds, precipitation, temperature: everything has to play a part in the "Firefall"

The weather also has to play its part: the sun has to shine directly on the water, i.e. with a clear sky.

Even a small cloud could not have the effect.

Another ingredient is the water, and that must have fallen beforehand in the form of snow for the seasonal waterfall to form.

The right temperatures are also important.

The temperatures are also important.

It has to freeze at night, but during the day a slight plus temperature is essential for the snow to melt.

But how much longer can this phenomenon be admired?

Climate change will make it drier.

Large parts of the country are experiencing severe drought, despite record rainfall.

Keyword lava and magma: A new study from China shows that the earth's core has apparently stopped rotating.

The researchers found this out by studying earthquakes.