Rabaul’s activity had subsided considerably by October 8, 2006, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image. The massive plume had dispersed, leaving a clearer view of the island of New Britain. In this image, the volcanic plume appears as a wisp of ash and/or steam. Compared to the opaque white clouds in the region, the plume is slightly darker in appearance.
NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team.
