Sarychev Peak Eruption
This photo was taken by one of the astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS)
and featured here with the following description (in part):
A fortuitous orbit of the International Space Station allowed the astronauts this striking view of Sarychev Volcano (Kuril Islands, northeast of Japan) in an early stage of eruption on June 12, 2009. Sarychev Peak is one of the most active volcanoes in the Kuril Island chain, and it is located on the northwestern end of Matua Island. Prior to June 12, the last explosive eruption occurred in 1989, with eruptions in 1986, 1976, 1954, and 1946 also producing lava flows. Ash from the multi-day eruption has been detected 2,407 kilometers east-southeast and 926 kilometers west-northwest of the volcano, and commercial airline flights are being diverted away from the region to minimize the danger of engine failures from ash intake.
This detailed astronaut photograph is exciting to volcanologists because it captures several phenomena that occur during the earliest stages of an explosive volcanic eruption. The main column is one of a series of plumes that rose above Matua Island on June 12. The plume appears to be a combination of brown ash and white steam. The vigorously rising plume gives the steam a bubble-like appearance.**
In contrast, the smooth white cloud on top may be water condensation that resulted from rapid rising and cooling of the air mass above the ash column. This cloud, which meteorologists call a pileus cloud, is probably a transient feature: the eruption plume is starting to punch through.
The installation of the Cupola module in 2010 on the ISS finally gave astronauts and scientists the opportunity to view and photograph
our Earth from a vantage point that not many artists on dA are able to achieve
What a view! The Cupola module has since been equipped with a variety of cameras and many, many incredible photographs have been taken.
Many of these photographs, such as the first photo in this journal entry, are featured on a fantastic website called Earth Observatory Image of the Day
All of the photos taken from the ISS are in the Public Domain and, as such, could provide some inspirational (and free) STOCK photos for many dA artists!