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Alaska volcano's plume as seen from space station

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured this stunning view of an ash plume streaming from Pavlof Volcano on May 18.  The volcano began erupting 10 days ago in Alaska's chain of Aleutian Islands, about 625 miles (1,000 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage.LiveScience reports that "the volcano's ash cloud has reached as high as 22,000 feet" — which is still at least 200 miles (3
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By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) photographed this striking view of Pavlof Volcano on May 18. The oblique perspective from the ISS reveals the three dimensional structure of the ash plume, which is often obscured by the top-down view of most remote sensing satellites. Situated in the Aleutian Arc about 625 miles southwest of Anchorage, Pavlof began erupting on May 13, 2013. When this photograph was taken, the space station was about 475 miles south-southeast of the volcano (49.1 degrees North latitude, 157.4 degrees West longitude). The volcanic plume extended southeastward over the North Pacific Ocean.
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) photographed this striking view of Pavlof Volcano on May 18. The oblique perspective from the ISS reveals the three dimensional structure of the ash plume, which is often obscured by the top-down view of most remote sensing satellites. Situated in the Aleutian Arc about 625 miles southwest of Anchorage, Pavlof began erupting on May 13, 2013. When this photograph was taken, the space station was about 475 miles south-southeast of the volcano (49.1 degrees North latitude, 157.4 degrees West longitude). The volcanic plume extended southeastward over the North Pacific Ocean.NASA

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured this stunning view of an ash plume streaming from Pavlof Volcano on May 18.  The volcano began erupting 10 days ago in Alaska's chain of Aleutian Islands, about 625 miles (1,000 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage.

LiveScience reports that "the volcano's ash cloud has reached as high as 22,000 feet" — which is still at least 200 miles (320 kilometers) below the space station. Feast your eyes on additional orbital views of the volcano from NASA's Earth Observatory and the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. And if you think Pavlof looks impressive from outer space, check out the amazing perspectives from the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News