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NASA / EO-1 / USGS
This view of Tolbachik Volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula was captured in infrared and visible light on Dec. 1 by the Advanced Land Imager on NASA's Earth Observing 1 satellite. The infrared readings in red highlight hot lava flows from the volcano.
Smoke and lava issue forth from Russia's Tolbachik Volcano in a pair of pictures from NASA's Earth Observing 1 satellite. What a difference in the perspectives!
The visible-light view from EO-1's Advanced Land Imager, captured on Dec. 1, shows billows of ash and steam, with a stream of dark lava cutting across the landscape.
In contrast, the infrared-plus-visible view reveals a nightmarish red river, running through a bilious green landscape. This version of the scene gets its eerie look from the false colors used to represent different wavelengths in the infrared part of the spectrum. The blood-red shade reflects the high surface temperatures of the lava, while the shades of green signify colder surroundings on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
A similar infrared-plus-visible image comes from the ASTER instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite. The ASTER image, our third view of Tolbachik's hell, combines a picture of the volcano from July 19 with fresh infrared data from Dec. 3 showing the lava flow.
The outburst marked Tolbachik's return to active status after 36 years of dormancy. The lava flows reportedly destroyed two research camps and forced school closures in nearby villages. Some experts worry that Tolbachik could unleash an eruption as powerful as Eyjafjallajökull's Icelandic blast, which disrupted trans-Atlantic air traffic for weeks back in 2010.
In the past few days, Russian authorities have downgraded Tolbachik's alert status from red to orange. Nevertheless, the mountain bears watching: Denison University volcanologist Erik Klemetti is monitoring the situation on his Eruptions blog.
NASA / EO-1 / USGS
The visible-light view from NASA's EO-1 satellite shows Tolbachik's lava flow as a river of darkness cutting through the snowy scene.
NASA / GSFC / METI / ERSDAC / JAROS via AFP
A false-color view from the ASTER imager on NASA's Terra satellite shows the Tolbachik Volcano and its surroundings in infrared and visible wavelengths. A scene from July 19 provides the background, with vegetation in red, older lava flows in dark gray and snow in white. A nighttime thermal infrared image, acquired Dec. 3, has been overlaid on the earlier image and highlights the hot lava flows in bright yellow.
More vistas from space:
- 2012 Cosmic Log Space Advent Calendar
- Day 1: A fantastic Chinese fan
- Day 2: Satellite shows a Grander Canyon
- Day 3: Typhoon stirs awe — and alarm
- Day 4: Glittering nighttime view of Riyadh
- Day 5: Night lights shine on 'Black Marble'
- Day 6: Holy sites seen at night
- Day 7: Blue Marble still leaves its mark
- 2011 Cosmic Log Space Advent Calendar
- 2010 Cosmic Log Space Advent Calendar
- The Atlantic: Hubble Advent Calendar
- Zooniverse Advent Calendar
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other science and space news coverage, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered via email. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Leave a Comment:
What an awesome sight to see, especially in the false colors. We are so fortunate to be able to see these images from a satellite. The differences between the surface temperatures and surrounding land really stand out in the infrared images. Making one appreciate even more a volcano and nature's forces within.
"In contrast, the infrared-plus-visible view reveals a nightmarish red river, running through a bilious green landscape. This version of the scene gets its eerie look from the false colors used to represent different wavelengths in the infrared part of the spectrum. The blood-red shade reflects the high surface temperatures of the lava, while the shades of green signify colder surroundings on the Kamchatka Peninsula." Eerie look. Blood red shade. Nightmarish red. Bilious green. - are you depressed about something? They are infrared pictures - some colors will be bright. Rated PG13.
A simple volcanic eruption isn't impressive enough for NBC, they have to sensationalize it as they do all their headlines.
Great sat pix of a spectacular eruption.
Wonder if Palin can see it from her place?
LoL
Beautiful pictures and some creative writing.
Some should stick to their picture books and stop complaining about "real writing".
Russian children are so spoiled these days! When my brother Ivan and I were kids we walked seven miles up the side of a volcano through 3 feet of molten lava to get to class! There were no "school closures"!
Some scientific information would have been interesting - such as the size of the massive area involved, depth and so on. You could improve your flawed and not so interesting comments. Really.
Praise our Creator for creations like these and to give us the intelliegence to create technology. By the way, keep
your negative comments to yourself about God to yourslef. I read your posts and never comment. Besides when
you call people names that isn't going to help change their beliefs. I enjoy having having conversation with
belivers.
I pray that FSM will grant george the ability to spell a little better.
Ramen
Spellchecker George, Spellchecker. For all you Belivers.
George probably ended with a clang into his porch spitoon.
I think it is a grand reminder of how the earth just keeps moving along on it's own devices and physics unhindered by anything humanity can throw at it. The ages with pass and so will humanity and the earth will keep rumbling along making way for some other species to "rule" it.
That's "ages will pass".
"By the way, keep your negative comments to yourself about God to yourslef. I read your posts and never comment..."
Why not? (but see below)
But do understand, this is a science site, and you're bringing in something...off topic. (as do the political commentors who can't resist)
I would certainly expect objections if I went to a site devoted to religious philosophy, and brought in something having little bearing, too. This cuts both ways.
"I enjoy having having conversation with belivers."
Again, belief (or lack thereof) in one or more deities, isn't what this site is about. I enjoy conversation with the science and technical minded, and (with the possible exception of the ethics of certain research and applications) I needn't address their religious beliefs to do that.
I'm a bit aghast at all this loose yammer about "trying to sensationalize a volcano", since we all paid good money for the machines that will help provide this consistent, multi-spectral imaging and monitoring of such events.
Good, graphics there Alan. Thanks indeed.
And imagine that one volcano emits more greenhouse gases in one day than the USA, China, and India combined emit in a decade!
Whatta you got against global warming? I think it's.. pretty cool
motoricker
Care to cite any sources for that claim, or you just repeat something you might have heard listening to Rush or Fox?
How come we can't even mention volcanoes but some wahoo has to come along and "spout" this complete lie about volcanoes and green house gasses?
The Yellowstone super-volcano might be competitive in this regard, but, otherwise, "fahget about it".
Gases: Man versus the Volcanoes
volcano.oregonstate.edu/education/gases/man.html
Facts versus those ignorant blurbs such as "And imagine that one volcano emits more greenhouse gases in one day than the USA, China, and India combined emit in a decade!"
My guess is you won't learn something to speak more intelligently anyhow, but for the rest of us, have a look!
For one example:
Carbon Dioxide
An awesome display of God's creative handywork!! Makes me wonder how anyone can say there is no God.