APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
The Milky Way Over the Peak of the Furnace
Explanation: On Reunion Island , it is known simply as “The Volcano.” To others, it is known as the Piton de la Fournaise , which is French for the Peak of the Furnace. It is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The Volcano started a new eruption last month by spewing hot lava bombs as high as 10 meters into the air from several vents. Pictured above , the recent eruption was caught before a star filled southern sky, appearing somehow contained beneath the arching band of our Milky Way Galaxy . Also visible in the background sky is the Pleiades open star cluster , the constellation of Orion , the brightest star Sirius , and the neighboring Large and Small Magellanic Cloud galaxies . (Can you find them ?) The Piton de la Fournaise erupted for months in 2006, and for days in 2007, 2008, and in January of 2010 . Nobody knows how long the current eruption will last, or when The Volcano will erupt next.
| Date | November 1, 2010 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Credit & Copyright: Luc Perrot |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |



