File:The Island of Hawaii (MODIS 2017-02-19).jpg

English: On February 14, 2017, the skies over the “Big Island” were remarkably cloud-free, allowing the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite to capture a stunning true-color image of Hawaii.

The Hawaiian archipelago became the 50th state of the United States in 1959. The state of Hawaii stretches about 1,500 miles (2,400 km) in the central Pacific Ocean. Eight of the islands are considered the main islands and house the most people. But it is the island of Hawaii that is the largest and most environmentally diverse.

Volcanic activity created the archipelago and it is volcanoes that dominate the island of Hawaii. In this image, the summits of Mauna Kea (north) and Mauna Loa (south) are brushed with white snow, while in the east, Kilauea sports a fiery red hotspot. A broad, but thin, cloud of volcanic ash rises from Kilauea and spreads to the southeast. As of February 15, Kilauea has been experiencing a dual eruption, with an active lava flow into the Halema’uma’u crater at the summit and ash and lava from the eastern rift zone (Pu’u ‘O’o). The lava flow enters the ocean at Kamokuna and steam created by this clash of hot lava and cool water may contribute to the ashen look over the southeastern coast.