An astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) captured an image of New Zealand's Mount Ruapehu, also known as Lord of the Rings' "Mount Doom."
ISS Astronaut Captures Mount Doom
Mount Ruapehu is the country's largest volcano, located in Tongariro National Park. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the center of New Zealand's North Island. Its top view image was taken on Sep. 23, 2021 but it was released on Sep. 18 by NASA's Earth Observatory.
A hydrothermal lake, Crater Lake, or Te Wai -moe, is seen in the photo as it is located at the summit of Mount Ruapehu. It sits between the mountain's three main peaks. The tallest peak stands 9,177 feet (2,797 meters) above sea level.
The lake is heated by a magma chamber deep within the volcano, and its temperature ranges between 59 and 113 degrees Fahrenheit (15 and 45 degrees Celsius). According to the Earth Observatory, the lake is also highly acidic, with a pH of less than one, due to the large amounts of volcanic gases that dissolve in the water.
The Importance of Crater Lake
Geologists consider Crater Lake a valuable tool to monitor the volcano's threat level. This hydrothermal lake is the only accessible part of the volcanic system that researchers can study. Rapid temperature fluctuations in the water can reflect changes in activity beneath the volcano's snowy peak.
According to the geological hazard information website GeoNet, Mount Ruapehu's alert level was raised in June from minor volcanic unrest to moderate to heightened volcanic unrest after a mini-swarm of earthquakes beneath the volcano.
During this time, the temperature of the water in Crater Lake rose dramatically, reaching a high of 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 C). However, the alert level was reduced in July after the water temperature dropped to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 C).
According to the Earth Observatory, experts believe the increase in activity was caused by a brief magma intrusion in the chamber beneath the volcano, based on temperature changes in the lake.
Breathtaking View of Mount Ruapehu
Mount Ruapehu offers an unobstructed, breathtaking views all the way to the coast. The spectacular alpine landscape is completed by a lake in a crater that has been warmed by volcanic activity and is steaming at the top.
It runs two top-notch ski resorts in the winter, Whakapapa and Troa.
With the maunga (mountain) stripped of its winter covering in the summer, it offers sightseeing on the 1.8-kilometer Sky Waka gondola, with views of the Central Plateau.
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Expedition 65
According to Live Science, the unidentified astronaut was part of the Expedition 65 crew on board the ISS.
Expedition 65 began on April 16, 2021, with the undocking of the Soyuz MS-17 from the International Space Station (ISS). It returned three Expedition 64 crew members to Earth, including NASA astronaut Kate Rubins. The expedition ended with the undocking of the Soyuz MS-18 on Oct. 17, 2021. It returned Novitskiy, Shipenko, and Peresild to Earth.
Crew-1 crewmates include five astronauts from NASA, such as Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Soichi Noguchi, Mark Vande Hei, and Shannon Walker. It also includes cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov.
on April 23, 2021, the second operational mission utilizing the SpaceX Crew Dragon, Crew-2, launched to the ISS. The members included Shane Kimbrough (NASA), Megan McArthur (NASA), Akihiko Hoshide (JAXA), and Thomas Pesquet (ESA).
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