This nighttime Brightness Temperature image shows a volcanic eruption near the town of Grindavik on the Reykjanes Peninsula of Iceland, on December 19, 2023. The eruption is visible as a bright white patch southwest of Reykjavik. Move the swipe bar in the map to the right to reveal the fires and thermal anomalies layer, which also picks up the heat signature from the lava.
This image was acquired by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard the joint NASA/NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite. Brightness temperature is measured in Kelvin (K) and is calculated from the top-of-the-atmosphere radiances. It does not provide an accurate temperature of either clouds nor the land surface, but it does show relative temperature differences that can be used to distinguish features both in clouds and over clear land. Click on the icon in the upper right of the map to open a fully interactive map of the volcano eruption in Worldview.
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