NASA has released a photo showing the eruption of a long-dormant volcano under a cover of clouds as seen from space.
The Landsat 8 satellite took the false-color image of the volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula, near Iceland's capital Reykjavik, at 10:25 p.m. local time on March 22. That was three days after the volcano, which hadn't erupted in some 6,000 years, roared back to life in a spectacular display of lava.
"The image was made from a combination of shortwave and near-infrared data (bands 7, 6, 5) to reveal how the lava lit up the clouds from below. Extremely hot features, such as lava, can 'glow' in the shortwave-infrared part of the spectrum," NASA said of the image.
Although it may appear the eruption is harrowing, Icelandic officials said they did not anticipate evacuations because the volcano is in a remote area, about 1.5 miles from the nearest road and 20 miles from Reykjavik.
Tourists have been getting very close to the slow-flowing lava. Officials said one man even tried to cook bacon and eggs on the lava, but his pan melted.