Mt. Etna, Italy
ASTER VNIR Level 1B : RGB=321 : 2002/11/3

Mt. Etna in eastern part of Sicilia, Italy is 3350m high, the largest active volcano in Europe. The appearance and the size are similar to those of Mt. Fuji in Japan. Mt. Etna has erupted many times in the past and the latest one started on 27 October 2002.
Mt. Etna blew up its molten lava hundreds of meters up in the sky causing the plume to rise much higher to reach even thousands of meters from the crater.
Damages caused by the eruption are extensive. Catania airport was closed and forest fires are burning in the peripheral area.
By emergency observation request, this image was taken on 3 November 2002, just after the eruption start.