Photo: NASA/Earth Observatory

Russian Volcano Erupts for the First Time in 95 Years and Astronauts Captured the Moment From Space

News Astronomy
by Eben Diskin Jun 28, 2019

A volcano on a remote island between the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia in the Sea of Okhotsk and Hokkaido in Japan has just erupted for the first time since 1924, and luckily, the International Space Station captured the whole thing via pictures.

On June 22, the uninhabited volcanic island of Raikoke shot ash and volcanic glass so high into the air that it could be seen from space, and photos released by NASA show the dramatic nature of the plume.

Volcano eruption from space

Photo: NASA/Earth Observatory

The eruption was no small event. It consisted of at least nine explosions, six of which occurred within 25 minutes, reported Smithsonian.com. The ash reached an altitude of eight miles, and the plume reached 10 miles, according to NASA.

Volcanologists were keeping a careful eye on the plume for the sake of airplane safety.

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