Astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) have captured new footage of the eruption of Mount Etna, an active volcano in Italy.
The volcano, which is one of the world's most active, seems to be spewing a column of gases into the skies as well as lava.
CATANIA, ITALY - MARCH 31: A view of Etna's summit craters from a helicopter of the Air Base, Air Nucleus and Helicopter Flight Section of the Catania Coast Guard, with personnel from the INGV (National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology) on board, for the purpose of monitoring the volcano's activity. Today's overflight allowed visible and thermal images to be taken of the summit craters, highlighting degassing activity associated with ash emissions that are dispersed in the summit area and in a south-westerly direction on March 31, 2021 in Catania, Italy. Europe's largest and most active volcano has been erupting regularly since September 2019. With more activity than usual, the volcano has erupted sixteen times in the past month.
ISS Astronauts Shared Mount Etna's Eruption From Space
Members of Expedition 66, which is now in orbit, provided some images of Mount Etna from space, which has erupted multiple times in the last year alone.
On Saturday, German astronaut Matthias Maurer tweeted a shot from the International Space Station of Mount Etna. Maurer is now aboard the International Space Station, and his images of Earth are breathtaking.
As he learned from the news, Maurer remarked that their home volcano, Etna, is visibly burning and spewing lava. He tagged his fellow ESA space flyer Luca Parmitano, who is from Italy.
On the Russian side of the space station, Roscosmos astronaut Anton Shkaplerov dispatched a report down from orbit.
He said red-hot lava flows from the crater, and clouds of ash and smoke are visible in the sky over Sicily. According to Shkaplerov, the volcano's activity then pauses before resuming with a series of tremendous explosions.
About Mount Etna
Mount Etna, Europe's highest and most active volcano, flared up spectacularly late Thursday in Italy.
According to Italy's National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (per Reuters), the eruption centered on the volcano's southeastern crater at the height of roughly 2,900 meters blasted ash and columns of smoke 8 kilometers into the sky.
No one was hurt, according to the accounts.
The 3,330-meter-high volcano may erupt spectacularly several times a year, spilling lava and ash far over Sicily in the Mediterranean. The most recent big eruption occurred in 1992.
Mount Etna expanded 100 feet (30 meters) in half a year in 2021 because it was so active. Astronauts may help with satellite observations of natural events like volcanoes and storms by taking the International Space Station photos.
Space.com said Volcanic plumes might reach very high heights, posing a threat to aviation traffic. At the same time, sulfur dioxide near the ground can irritate the human respiratory system, triggering asthma and other respiratory problems.
Mount Etna is thought to be a subterranean volcano that erupted above sea level owing to hardened lava after multiple eruptions, according to NASA's Earth Observatory. Lava flows from as far back as 300,000 years ago cover the mountain's surface.
RELATED ARTICLE: Tonga Volcano Eruption: Astronauts Captured Tragic Event From Space [Watch]
Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.