Popocatépetl is one of Mexico’s most active volcanoes.
Popocatépetl is one of Mexico’s most active volcanoes. During the mountain’s current period of eruption, ongoing since 2005, volcanic emissions frequently billow from its summit crater. In spring 2023, striking plumes were captured in images acquired by satellites and astronauts, both orbiting hundreds of kilometers above Earth’s surface.
The Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 acquired this image (above) on April 14, 2023. Monitoring systems on that day detected water vapor, volcanic gases, and ash, according to Mexico’s National Center for Disaster Prevention (CENAPRED).
The volcano still puffed on May 2, 2023, when an astronaut on the International Space Station took this photograph (below). It shows a wider view of the region that includes Iztaccihuatl—a dormant volcanic mountain—and the nearby town of Puebla. Mexico City (not pictured) is about 70 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Popocatépetl.
Read more at: NASA Earth Observatory
Photo Credit: NASA Earth Observatory, Lauren Dauphin
