Lava Gallery

Galileo Images the Moon

This view of the Moon's north pole is a mosaic assembled from 18 images taken by Galileo's imaging system through a green filter as the spacecraft flew by on December 7, 1992. The left part of the Moon is visible from Earth; this region includes the dark, lava-filled Mare Imbrium (upper left); Mare Serenitatis (middle left); Mare Tranquillitatis (lower left), and Mare Crisium, the dark circular feature toward the bottom of the mosaic. Also visible in this view are the dark lava plains of the Marginis and Smythii Basins at the lower right. The Humboldtianum Basin, a 650-kilometer (400-mile) impact structure partly filled with dark volcanic deposits, is seen at the center of the image. The Moon's north pole is located just inside the shadow zone, about a third of the way from the top left of the illuminated region

© NASA

Tolbachik Volcano erupting with lava flowing down the mountain side. Kamchatka, Russia

Tolbachik Volcano erupting with lava flowing down the mountain side. Kamchatka, Russia. November 29th 2013. Winner of the Wildscapes category, Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards (WPOY competition) 2013

© www.naturepl.com

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Waianapanapa Sunrise

The Road to Hana is an amazing and probably Maui's most popular drive. One of the must stops on the way is the black sand beach. The water is cold, treacherous and shark infested. Waianapanapa State Park boasts a black sand beach thata€™s simply unparalleled on the island of Maui, or anywhere else for that matter. Ita€™s nestled in a private cove, the pitch black granules glisten, dark and mysterious a€” there is something about it that draws people here. Created long, long ago by the rough surf pounding on a fresh, bubbling lava flow, courtesy of Haleakala. It took a millennia or more to be ground down into a beach. The beauty of the turquoise coastal beaches of Hawaii are almost indistinguishable from those of the Bahamas, French Polynesia, Malau, Hawaii, Cancun, Costa Rica, Florida, Maldives, Cuba, Fiji, Bora Bora, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Navagio Beach, Shipwreck Beach, Smugglers Cove, Zakynthos, Ionian Islands, or other tropical vacation travel destinations

© Matt Anderson Photography