Satellite imagery shows extent of Kilauea volcano's sprawling lava flows

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Sunday, May 27, 2018
Kilauea's sprawling lava flows visible from space
Imagery from NASA and the European Space Agency shows the extent of the sprawling lava flows produced by the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii.

Lava flows from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano can be seen from space, according to imagery from two different space agencies.

The European Space Agency released a photograph from its Sentinel-2 satellite showing the bright orange lava, which is starkly visible against the rest of the green Hawaiian landscape.

ESA snapped the photo on May 23, and it was released on May 25.

NASA's Earth Observatory also shared a nighttime view of the lava flows in the form of a false-color view of the molten rock taken by the Operational Land Imager on Landsat 8. NASA's shot, also from May 23, was taken amid cloud cover in the region; the lava pictured is almost a pastel orange, while purple regions surrounding the lava are actually clouds being lit from below.

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Lava flows and hazardous volcanic particles continue to be emitted by Hawaii's Kilauea volcano on Saturday, June 9.
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