Mauna Loa eruption on Hawaii’s Big Island filmed from space

The eruption of Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaii, which began Sunday at around 11:30 p.m. Hawaiian local time, has been captured on video from space.

Satellite imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) GOES-West satellite shows the development of the volcano as it erupts and the plume of gas and ash it is emitting. An Air Mass RGB image can also be seen as the volcano burps out hot water vapor and other gases.

Mauna Loa is between 700,000 and 1 million years old and is the largest active volcano in the world. Its summit is 13,000 feet above sea level, and it has not erupted since 1984. The eruption is occurring within its caldera at the summit, Moku’āweoweo, but lava at the summit can now be seen from the town of Kona 30 miles away. Other pictures taken nearby show an eerie orange glow lighting up the night sky.

“Based on past events, the early stages of a Mauna Loa eruption can be very dynamic and the location and advance of lava flows can change rapidly,” an update from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. “If the eruption remains in Moku’āweoweo, lava flows will most likely be confined within the caldera walls. However, if the eruptive vents migrate outside its walls, lava flows may move rapidly downslope.”

The USGS has warned that lava from the eruption may come down the volcano, possibly toward towns.

“The real hazards are related to eruption rates – Mauna Loa tends to erupt at higher rates than Kilauea – and the reach of the rift zones, which can send flows into populated areas,” the USGS tweeted.

Kilauea, a neighboring volcano also on the island of Hawaii (also known as Big Island), erupts more frequently than Mauna Loa, but the latter can be more energetic and therefore more dangerous.

“This can pose risks to neighboring communities if the eruptions occur along the rift zones,” Rajeev Nair, an earth science professor at the University of Calgary, previously told Newsweek. “Even if not directly affecting communities, a significant Mauna Loa eruption has the potential to cut off communities. But if the eruption occurs in the summit crater, it could likely be contained within the caldera without significantly impacting communities.”

Ash and volcanic gases emitted from the volcano may also make their way toward populated areas, possibly endangering residents. An Ashfall Advisory has been put into place for the entirety of the island of Hawaii until 6 a.m.

A tweet from Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency said: “Up to a quarter-inch of ash is expected around and downwind of Mauna Loa. People with breathing difficulties should stay indoors, and cover nose/mouth with cloth or a mask.”

As Mauna Loa continues to erupt, conditions may change rapidly. When it erupted in 1950, lava traveled from a vent 10,000 feet above sea level to the ocean in only three hours. At this point, however, “all vents remain restricted to the summit area,” the USGS said in a statement.