“Where In the Universe” Challenge #17

It’s Wednesday, so it’s time for another “Where In The Universe” Challenge. Take a look at the image above and try to determine where in the universe this image was taken. Give yourself extra points if you can name the spacecraft responsible for taking this image. As always, no peeking below for the before you make your guess. Our readers have been having a blast with this challenge, and we hope this one will evoke more eruptions of cheers and enjoyment.

This is a small volcano island here on Earth, found in the Aleutian Islands. But tiny Kasatochi Volcano created a big mess in recently by spewing ash and sulfur dioxide over the surrounding area. The volcano erupted with little warning on August 7, 2008. No one was hurt, but two biologists were evacuated from the island just hours before the eruption. According to the Associated Press, the ash forced Alaska Airlines to cancel 44 flights between Alaska, Canada, and the continental United States. Until the eruption, the steep-sided volcano harbored a small lake inside its 314-meter (1000-foot) summit, and vegetation (red in this image) covered the slopes. Cliffs along the shoreline may be the result of erosion from heavy surf, visible as a white fringe around the island. Kasatochi had not erupted in at least 200 years.

This image, composed of near-infrared, red, and green wavelengths of light, was acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite in 2003.

Here’s a link to some images showing Kasatochi during the eruption.

NASA image and caption by Robert Simmon, based on data from the NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team and found on the NASA Earth Observatory website.