The Taal Eruption Looks Even More Massive When Seen From Space

(SPOT.ph) Eruptions from Taal Volcano appear to have waned as of the last few hours, according to the latest advisory from the /Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology—but the heightened Alert Level 4 remains. To put things into perspective, this animated time lapse shows the massive reach of Taal Volcano's eruptions from January 12 to 13, as seen from space by Japanese satellite Himawari-8. 

A cloud-like formation can be clearly seen moving north from Taal Volcano, practically reaching Taiwan. This "time-series animation" was posted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Earth Twitter account and is based on footage of the Himawari-8 satellite.

In the Philippines, this plume covered almost all of Batangas in volcanic ash. More than 50,000 people have been affected by the ongoing eruptions, while tens of thousands have been displaced, according to a report by CNN Philippines.  Ashfall reached the surrounding areas of Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Metro Manila, and even Bulacan.

Eruptions from the volcano have also released sulfur dioxide into the air, but according to Simon Carn, Michigan Technological University volcanologist, the amount is not enough to really impact the climate. "However, it is possible that the Taal eruption could continue and produce more SO2 in the coming days," Carn was quoted in an article by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Earth Observatory. 

Main image courtesy of Michelle Calma.