This is when the sun pours through a hole in the roof of the Mojave Desert Lava Tube, creating a magical beam of light onto the dusty floor. The pictures you see here were taken around 2 pm in June.

“It’s a public misconception that the desert doesn’t burn, but we’re seeing right here that that’s not case,” said Sierra Willoughby, a supervisory park ranger at Mojave National Preserve.