New Images Capture Mount Etna's Massive Eruption From Space

On June 2, Mount Etna erupted, spewing hot lava down its slopes as a massive ash cloud towered above Sicily. Located on the Italian island of Sicily, Europe's highest and most active volcano sent a colossal plume of ash soaring up to 5 kilometres into the sky during the eruption. Meanwhile, a European Space Agency satellite captured the whole thing from space. Copernicus Sentinel-2C snapped dramatic photos of the eruption just minutes after it began, providing a unique perspective on the volcanic activity.

The satellite, launched by the European Commission's Earth observation program in September 2024, captured striking images of Mount Etna's eruption from an altitude of 775 km. The photos reveal a dense ash plume and a pyrocumulus cloud drifting over inland Sicily, as well as active lava flows descending into the Valle del Bove.

"The image here clearly depicts the lava flow and huge plume of smoke and ash. A capture from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite also shows the sulphur dioxide emitted in the plume," ESA wrote while sharing the image. 

See the image here:

🌋 Mount Etna's latest eruption on 2 June was caught by @CopernicusEU Sentinel-2. This image shows the lava distribution from the eruption, using an infrared overlay to highlight lava flowing.https://t.co/LWvnB5BcDh

— European Space Agency (@esa) June 4, 2025

As per Space.com, ESA's Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite caught the eruption using its wide swath high-resolution multispectral imager that includes 13 spectral bands for imaging Earth's vegetation and landscape.

The Copernicus satellites provide critical data to experts, enabling them to monitor volcanic activity, assess hazards, support emergency responses, and track long-term landscape changes.

The eruption began at 11:24 am local time on June 2, when increased pressure from hot gases inside Mount Etna led to a partial collapse of one of its craters. This triggered a pyroclastic flow, sending a dense column of ash and smoke kilometres into the atmosphere. Lava flowed in three directions but began to cool down. Pyroclastic flows are highly hazardous, reaching temperatures of up to 1,000°C and travelling at speeds of around 60 miles per hour.

#Etna 2025 suite de l'éruption pic.twitter.com/95sZiVHGbM

— 🥗Aurelien Pouzin🍯 (@aurelienpouzin) June 2, 2025

Notably, there hadn't been an eruption from Etna of this magnitude since 2014, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Observatory. The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) had noted Mount Etna was experiencing "intense and almost continuous" strombolian explosions. According to the latest statement by INGV, the eruption activity has ceased.