Amazing volcano photo shows shock wave

Amazing volcano photo shows shock wave
Image from space shows several phenomena that occur early in eruption

www.msnbc.msn.com...

Astronauts aboard the international space station captured this striking view of Sarychev Peak in the Kuril Island chain, northeast of Japan, on June 12. Volcanologists are excited about the picture because it captures several phenomena that occur during the earliest stages of an explosive eruption.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/89fc411c1d77.jpg[/atsimg]

updated 1 hour, 21 minutes ago

An amazing new picture from space reveals a volcanic eruption in its earliest stage, with a huge plume of ash and steam billowing skyward and creating a shock wave in the atmosphere.

Sarychev Peak on Matua Island is one of the most active volcanoes in the Kuril Island chain, northeast of Japan.

The new photo was taken June 12 from the International Space Station. NASA says volcano researchers are excited about the picture "because it captures several phenomena that occur during the earliest stages of an explosive volcanic eruption."
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The main plume appears to be a combination of brown ash and white steam, according to a NASA statement. The vigorously rising plume gives the steam a bubble-like appearance.

The surrounding atmosphere has been shoved up by the shock wave of the eruption, scientists said.

Volcano plumes are so chaotic that they produce lightning, as revealed in pictures for the first time earlier this year.

The smooth white cloud on top may be water condensation that resulted from rapid rising and cooling of the air mass above the ash column. This cloud is probably a transient feature, scientists say, with the eruption plume is starting to punch through. The cloud casts a dark shadow to the northwest of the island.

Often, winds high in the atmosphere sheer a volcano's plume and flatten it out. That didn't happen with this one.

The photo also shows a ground-hugging plume of light gray ash, probably a mix of hot gas and ash in what volcanologists call a pyroclastic flow, descending from the volcano summit. Pyroclastic flows — deadly to anything or anyone in their paths — are known to be up to 600 degrees and rush across the land at 130 mph.

Commercial airline flights are being diverted away from the region to minimize the danger of engine failures from ash intake.

Great Photo!!

fabulous picture and amazing how it is a small mushroom cloud and you can definitely see how the other clouds moved out of the way in a perfect circle.

I'd have loved to hear the COMs between the ISS and Houston "There appears to be a mushroom-like cloud rising up from NorthEast of Japan."
Bet that rattled a few nerves for some moments

I saved that picture to my albums, what an amazing sight that was. Life on the space station has its rewards for certain.

Wow, that is just amazing

I wonder if they have more photos, and am off to hunt and see.

Thanks for bringing this to us.

Harm None
Peace

That's an AWESOME picture, quadruple points for finding it! Has anyone noticed all of the low level earthquake activity on RSOE the past five days? The global map does not work but the European map was nuts two nights ago, it was a solid line of quakes across Eurasia ending in the Atlantic.

Originally posted by ROBL240
I'd have loved to hear the COMs between the ISS and Houston "There appears to be a mushroom-like cloud rising up from NorthEast of Japan."
Bet that rattled a few nerves for some moments

It may of raised a few heartbeats but trust me the systems in place (some satellites can't remember the names) will of known instantly whether that was a nuke or not - they tell instantly by the flash signature - a nuke has a very short (nano second) intense flash followed by a slower growing one. A nuke would stand out like me whenever I try to hide in the female changing rooms

wow that is spectacular; imagine what the view must have been like for the astronauts who took the picture.

as said above, this pics getting saved to the hard drive.



heres a bigger version

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/c287d5b2b533.jpg[/atsimg]

[edit on 6/22/2009 by Alaskan Man]

[edit on 6/23/2009 by Alaskan Man]

is it me or does the international spacestation always find themselves in the right place to capture some good shots?

or is their orbit just happen to to go over this eruption? and nyc?

why a shock wave thought?

could it not just be heat or chemicals released from the volcano?

just curious if there are other explanations because the photo does not technically show a shock wave, at least not in its entirety; to enable the conclusion given to be drawn.

reply to post by Myendica


maby they know more to what really happened. too true always in the right place at the right time

reply to post by warrenb

I agree. It doesn't even look like a shockwave to me..

2.

reply to post by secretagent woooman



I believe Alaska just had a Quake a few hours ago...

I'm guessing that when they say shockwave, they are referring to the way the atmosphere shoved up--making that circular hole in the cloud cover.

Wow, amazing pic. Although I'm a little curious about this...

Originally posted by Pauligirl

Volcano plumes are so chaotic that they produce lightning, as revealed in pictures for the first time earlier this year.

I've seen pictures and video years ago showing lightning caused by volcanic plumes. It's been a well known fact that eruptions can cause lightning, or was that just me?

Or was this pic from years ago, and they're only just releasing the article now. Nasa up to their usual tricks again

Originally posted by Curious and Concerned
Wow, amazing pic. Although I'm a little curious about this...

Originally posted by Pauligirl

Volcano plumes are so chaotic that they produce lightning, as revealed in pictures for the first time earlier this year.

I've seen pictures and video years ago showing lightning caused by volcanic plumes. It's been a well known fact that eruptions can cause lightning, or was that just me?

Or was this pic from years ago, and they're only just releasing the article now.

Nasa up to their usual tricks again

Yeah same thing here, seen pics of lightning in ash clouds for years, one eruption at Mt Ruapehu here in New Zealand in I think 95 had some spectacular lighting shots.

No doubt our good ol' 'friends' at NASA drip feeding us babies...

It's obviously swamp gas. j/k

I am just amazed at how perfect the photo is. This was taken from space, right? Now explain to me why we can't get photo's this clear from the unseen side of the moon.

Hey that's funny, that looks just like Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What's even funnier is that both those places have active volcanos that exploded at almost the same times the bombs did. Odd coincidence I guess or great timing.

Peace

Just a couple images of shock wave's for reference

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/c5397795c0e6.jpeg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d40dfc64147d.gif[/atsimg]

Originally posted by GhostR1der

Originally posted by Curious and Concerned
Wow, amazing pic. Although I'm a little curious about this...

Originally posted by Pauligirl

Volcano plumes are so chaotic that they produce lightning, as revealed in pictures for the first time earlier this year.

I've seen pictures and video years ago showing lightning caused by volcanic plumes. It's been a well known fact that eruptions can cause lightning, or was that just me?

Or was this pic from years ago, and they're only just releasing the article now.

Nasa up to their usual tricks again

Yeah same thing here, seen pics of lightning in ash clouds for years, one eruption at Mt Ruapehu here in New Zealand in I think 95 had some spectacular lighting shots.

No doubt our good ol' 'friends' at NASA drip feeding us babies...

It does seem to be misleading, but in the original article, the phrase "pictures for the first time" is an active link that leads to:
www.livescience.com... which says:

For the first time, scientists have been able to “see” and trace lightning inside a plume of ash spewing from an actively erupting volcano.

When Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano began rumbling back to life in January, a team of researchers scrambled to set up a system called a Lightning Mapping Array that would be able to peer through the dust and gas of any eruption that occurred to the lightning storm happening within. Lightning is known to flash in the tumultuous clouds belched out during volcanic eruptions.

The lightning produced when Redoubt finally erupted on March 22 was "prolific," said physicist Paul Krehbiel of New Mexico Tech. Check out the image.

"The lightning activity was as strong or stronger than we have seen in large Midwestern thunderstorms," Krehbiel said. "The radio frequency noise was so strong and continuous that people living in the area would not have been able to watch broadcast VHF television stations."

Lightning mapping arrays are increasingly being used by meteorologists to issue weather warnings, but have only been deployed at volcanoes twice before.

I don't know if that means the array was set up in Sarychev Peak.