Media Information

 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Earth Observatory Collection
Title:
Eruption of Sicily's Mt. Etna
Description:
Italy?s Aeolian Islands and Mount Etna are the focus of this 3-D perspective view made from an Advanced Spaceborne Thermal and Emission Radiometer (ASTER) image from NASA?s Terra spacecraft and overlaid on Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) topography. The image is looking south with the islands of Lipari and Vulcano in the foreground and Etna with its dark lava flows on the skyline. Vulcano also hosts an active volcano, the cone of which is prominent. In late October 2002, Etna erupted again, sending lava flows down the south and east sides of the volcano, out of sight in this view.

In addition to the terrestrial applications of these data for understanding active volcanoes and hazards associated with them such as lava flows and explosive eruptions, geologists studying Mars find these data useful as an analog to martian landforms and geologic processes. In late September 2002, a field conference with the theme of Terrestrial Analogs to Mars focused on Mount Etna allowing Mars geologists to see in person the types of features they can only sample remotely.

Elevation data used in this image was acquired by SRTM aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on Feb. 11, 2000. SRTM used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. SRTM was designed to collect 3-D measurements of the Earth?s surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter (approximately 200-foot) mast, installed additional C-band and X-band antennas, and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between NASA, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) of the U.S. Department of Defense and the German and Italian space agencies. It is managed by NASA?s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA?s Earth Science Enterprise, Washington, D.C.

Size: Varies across scene
Location: 38.25 degrees North latitude, 15 degrees East longitude
Orientation: Looking south
Image Data: ASTER bands 2, 3, 1 as red, green, blue, respectively.
Original Data Resolution: SRTM 1 arc-second (30 meters or 98 feet)
Date Acquired: February 2000 (SRTM), July 29, 2001 (ASTER)

Image courtesy ASTER and SRTM Teams, NASA?s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Satellite - Sensor:
Terra- ASTER
facet_what:
Earth
facet_what:
ASTER
facet_what:
Terra
facet_what:
Space Shuttle Endeavour
facet_what:
Shuttle Radar Topography Mission
facet_what:
SRTM
facet_what:
C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar
facet_what:
Spaceborne Imaging Radar
facet_what:
Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar
facet_what:
Mars
facet_what:
Space Shuttle Orbiter
facet_where:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where:
Washington
facet_where:
Italy
facet_where:
Mars
facet_where:
Washington, D.C.
facet_when:
1994
facet_when:
February 2000
facet_when:
September 2002
facet_when:
October 2002
facet_when:
July 29, 2001
facet_when_year:
2000
facet_when_year:
2001
facet_when_year:
2002
facet_when_year:
1994
UID:
SPD-ETOBS-5220
original url:

Eruption of Sicily's Mt. Etna