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VOLCANIC PLUME:
An enormous plume of sulfur dioxide (SO2) blasted into
the stratosphere by Russia's Sarychev Peak volcano on June 12th
is circumnavigating the globe at northern latitudes. Check out this
movie made by the GOME-2 sensor onboard Europe's MetOp-A satellite.
SO2 is drifting across the North Atlantic and appears
poised to reach Europe over the next 48 hours. Sky watchers there
should be alert for volcanic
sunsets.
VOLCANIC SUNSET:
On June 22nd, photographer Brian
Whittaker was flying 35,000 feet above Nunavut, Canada, when
he witnessed "the most spectacular sunset that I have ever
seen," he says. "The giant volcanic cloud from Russia's
Sarychev Peak [see below] was illuminated by the arctic sun--and
this completely transformed the landscape. For a moment, I thought
I was on Mars."
This was the view from the window seat:
"All the curtains were drawn so that people could sleep which
is very normal," notes Whittaker. "It is possible that
very few people have seen this despite all the potential observers!"
Whittaker's airplane traveled all the way from British Columbia
to Europe, so he got a good long look at the cloud. "It stretched
for more than 4,000 kilometers. Will it reach Europe?" he wonders.
Stay tuned for updates.
more images: #1,
#2, #3,
#4
SARYCHEV PEAK VOLCANO:
Perfect timing. On June 12th, just as Russia's
Sarychev Peak volcano was erupting for the first time in 20 years,
the International Space Station flew directly overhead. Astronauts
had their
camera ready and snapped one of the most dramatic Earth-science
photos ever taken from space:
Researchers are studying this rare
photo to learn about the early stages of powerful volcanic eruptions.
A few phenomena stand out:
(1) The volcano erupted with such force, the plume
actually punched through the atmosphere. Note how clouds around
the volcano have parted in a circular ring--that is a result of
a shock wave produced by the upward blast. (2) The plume is a mixture
of brown ash and white steam. A "dirty thunderstorm" complete
with lightning could be in progress within the roiling cloud. (3)
The smooth white bubble on top of the plume is probably a mass of
water condensing from air shoved upward by the rising ash column.
If so, it is akin to the iridescent pileus clouds sometimes featured
on spaceweather.com.
If you're not amazed yet, try this: Put on a pair
of red-blue stereo glasses and behold the
eruption in 3D. The anaglyph was created by graphic artist Patrick
Vantuyne of Belgium. No stereo glasses? A cross-eyed
version is also available.
2009
Noctilucent Photo Gallery
[previous years: 2008,
2007, 2006,
2005, 2004,
2003]
Explore
the Sunspot Cycle
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