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June 5, 2025 - Mount Etna Erupts
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On June 2, 2025, Mount Etna, one of the world’s most active volcanoes dramatically erupted, spewing lava, ash, and gas high into the air and sending tourists scrambling off the slopes. The Aviation Code was raised to red (the highest color on a four-color scale) early that morning as ash plumes began to rise, resulting in about 20 percent of the flights into the local airport being delayed. The initial dramatic explosive activity resulted in the collapse of the southeast crater and minor ashfall in a town south-southwest of the eruption site, but no reports of injuries or damage.
Mount Etna, which is located in the northeast corner of the island of Sicily, has one of the world’s longest documented records of volcanism, dating back to 1500 BCE, according to the Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program. The current eruptive cycle began on November 22, 2022, and has shown both explosive and effusive characteristics.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of a large plume of volcanic ash rising from Mount Etna on June 2, 2025.
The shiny, mirror-like seas around the island of Sicily are not the result of pollution or smoke but are created by an optical phenomenon called “sunglint”. Sunglint occurs when light bounces off smooth water directly back at the sensor, creating a mirror-like reflection. Where the surface of the water is rougher, such as off the northeast coast of Sicily, light reflects in several directions, and the water appears dark.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 6/2/2025
Resolutions:
1km (156.4 KB), 500m (389.1 KB), 250m (623.5 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
On June 2, 2025, Mount Etna, one of the world’s most active volcanoes dramatically erupted, spewing lava, ash, and gas high into the air and sending tourists scrambling off the slopes. The Aviation Code was raised to red (the highest color on a four-color scale) early that morning as ash plumes began to rise, resulting in about 20 percent of the flights into the local airport being delayed. The initial dramatic explosive activity resulted in the collapse of the southeast crater and minor ashfall in a town south-southwest of the eruption site, but no reports of injuries or damage.
Mount Etna, which is located in the northeast corner of the island of Sicily, has one of the world’s longest documented records of volcanism, dating back to 1500 BCE, according to the Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program. The current eruptive cycle began on November 22, 2022, and has shown both explosive and effusive characteristics.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of a large plume of volcanic ash rising from Mount Etna on June 2, 2025.
The shiny, mirror-like seas around the island of Sicily are not the result of pollution or smoke but are created by an optical phenomenon called “sunglint”. Sunglint occurs when light bounces off smooth water directly back at the sensor, creating a mirror-like reflection. Where the surface of the water is rougher, such as off the northeast coast of Sicily, light reflects in several directions, and the water appears dark.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 6/2/2025
Resolutions:
1km (156.4 KB), 500m (389.1 KB), 250m (623.5 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
