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Birthday · April 16, 2003

Magma Bubbles from Mt. Etna

April 16, 2003

Somewhere above you, light is arriving from places so distant their names feel like poetry.

Magma Bubbles from Mt. Etna

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APOD published April 16, 2003. Credit: Stromboli online. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.

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Magma Bubbles from Mt. Etna

Original APOD · April 16, 2003

Mt. Etna erupted spectacularly in 2001 June. Pictured above, the volcano was photographed expelling bubbles of hot magma, some of which measured over one meter across. One reason planetary geologists study Earth's Mt. Etna is because of its likely similarity to volcanoes on Mars. Mt. Etna, a basalt volcano, is composed of material similar to Mars, and produces similar lava channels. Located in Sicily, Italy, Mt. Etna is not only one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, it is one of the largest, measuring over 50 kilometers at its base and rising nearly 3 kilometers high.

Image credit: Stromboli online

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