[NASA] Anak Krakatau Rumbles Again

[SpaceMan 0]

Earth Observatory

1. This is the hidden content, please

   • Sign In
   • or
   • Sign Up
2. This is the hidden content, please

   • Sign In
   • or
   • Sign Up
3. Anak Krakatau Rumbles Again

• This is the hidden content, please

  • Sign In
  • or
  • Sign Up
• This is the hidden content, please

  • Sign In
  • or
  • Sign Up
• This is the hidden content, please

  • Sign In
  • or
  • Sign Up
• This is the hidden content, please

  • Sign In
  • or
  • Sign Up
• Topics
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
• More Content
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
• About
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
  • This is the hidden content, please

    • Sign In
    • or
    • Sign Up
• This is the hidden content, please

  • Sign In
  • or
  • Sign Up

 

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Anak Krakatau erupts ash and volcanic gases in this image acquired with the 

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

 (Operational Land Imager) on

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

on September 5, 2026.

NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison

Eruptions are a regular occurrence at

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, a small volcano between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. Much of its activity remains relatively mild, but it occasionally puts on more impressive and hazardous shows of force. In early September 2026, a booming eruption lasting more than 24 hours sent gas and ash high into the atmosphere, disrupting thousands of flights and degrading air quality in parts of the country, including the capital city of Jakarta.

Satellites passing over the area during the eruption on September 5 captured images of the explosive activity. In the scene above, acquired with the 

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

 (Operational Land Imager) on the NASA-USGS 

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

satellite, a white plume of volcanic gas billows over a brown ash cloud. Below, a wider view captured by the 

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

 (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the 

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

satellite shows the volcanic material dispersing over a large area.

Indonesia’s meteorological agency

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

that ash had reached altitudes up to 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) to the east of the volcano and 15,000 meters (50,000 feet) to the west by September 6. The presence of ash in the atmosphere prompted the temporary closure of

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

on Java and Sumatra, disrupting nearly 3,000 flights in and out of the area, according to

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Plumes of ash and volcanic gases from Anak Krakatau drift over Indonesia and the Indian Ocean in this image captured by the 

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

 (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the 

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

satellite on September 5, 2026.

NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison

Ashfall affected populated areas, particularly to the east of Anak Krakatau in Jakarta and other parts of West Java, the

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

. Volcanic ash poses health risks to people and can irritate the respiratory tract, eyes, and skin. However, this air quality hazard differs from the

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

elsewhere in the country in terms of particle characteristics, dispersal patterns, and protection measures, the IHCP noted. 

On September 6, the continuous explosive eruption from Anak Krakatau subsided, though the volcano kept rumbling. It returned to a more typical pattern of

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, characterized by intermittent spurts of ash and volcanic material. Airports had

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

by September 8, but the volcano remained at the second-highest alert level on the country’s scale, as it has been since

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using Landsat data from the 

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, and VIIRS data from NASA 

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, 

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, and the 

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

. Story by Lindsey Doermann.

Downloads

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

September 5, 2026: Landsat

JPEG (14.89 MB)

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

September 5, 2026: VIIRS

JPEG (3.38 MB)

References & Resources

• ABC News (2026, September 7)
  This is the hidden content, please

  • Sign In
  • or
  • Sign Up
  . Accessed September 8, 2026.
• BBC (2026, September 8)
  This is the hidden content, please

  • Sign In
  • or
  • Sign Up
  . Accessed September 8, 2026.
• BMKG (2026, September 7)
  This is the hidden content, please

  • Sign In
  • or
  • Sign Up
  . Accessed September 8, 2026.
• BMKG (2026, September 6)
  This is the hidden content, please

  • Sign In
  • or
  • Sign Up
  . Accessed September 8, 2026.
• Global Volcanism Program (2026)
  This is the hidden content, please

  • Sign In
  • or
  • Sign Up
  . Accessed September 8, 2026.
• Indonesia Humanitarian Coordination Platform (2026, September 6)
  This is the hidden content, please

  • Sign In
  • or
  • Sign Up
  . Accessed September 8, 2026.
• NASA Earth Observatory,
  This is the hidden content, please

  • Sign In
  • or
  • Sign Up
  . Accessed September 8, 2026.

You may also be interested in:

Stay up-to-date with the latest content from NASA as we explore the universe and discover more about our home planet.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

2 min read

The volcano on Indonesia’s Halmahera Island routinely ejects ash, volcanic gases, and volcanic bombs.

Article

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

5 min read

Satellite imagery shows a surge of new volcanic activity in the ocean near Papua New Guinea.

Article

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

4 min read

Near-constant activity continues on the volcano in Russia.

Article

1

2

3

4
Next

Keep Exploring

Discover More from NASA Earth Science

Subscribe to Earth Observatory Newsletters

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Earth Observatory Image of the Day

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Explore Earth Science

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Earth Science Data

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up