Phil Plait

Bad Astronomy

The pressure of living on a spinning planet

(Image Credit: KARITING PICAH/Shutterstock) 

Mount Lewotobi

Discover more about Indonesia's volcanic alert system and the systems used around the world to help keep people as safe as possible. 

Volcanic Alert Systems Helped Keep People Safe During Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki Eruption

Sunday Newsletter 

Subscribe to our Sunday newsletter and get all our fun, unique, and fascinating science stories right to your inbox, with a few added bonuses.

Get Your Weekly Dose of Fun, Quirky, and Fascinating Science — Our Sunday Newsletter Is Here

Chaitén Volcano in southern Chile erupted on May 2, 2008 for the first time in 9,000 years. NASA satellites that monitor changes in vegetation near volcanoes could aid in earlier eruption warnings. (Image Courtesy of Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)

NASA satellites that monitor changes in vegetation near volcanoes

Learn how the changing color of tree leaves is being used as an early warning sign for volcanic activity.

Trees Can Warn Us of Volcanic Eruptions From Space

(Image Credit: sirtravelalot/Shutterstock) 

Erupting volcano

Learn how ash from volcanic eruptions can alter ice content in clouds, influencing how Earth handles radiation. 

Ash-Rich Volcanic Eruptions Change Icy Clouds, Regulating Radiation on Earth

Eruption Of Etna Volcano February 2017 In Sicily. (Image Credit: Wead/Shutterstock) 

Etna Volcano

Learn more about fascinating lava fountains and how high they can reach during a volcano eruption.

What Are Lava Fountains and Are They a Third Type of Volcanic Eruption?

The Fagradalsfjall volcano was active from March to September 2021. NTNU professor Fjóla Guðrun Sigtryggsdóttir is shown studying the lava that had begun to flow over a defensive barrier near one of the embankment dams in a unique field experiment that began in May. (Image Credit: Hörn Hrafnsdottir)

Fjola sigtryggsdottir lava flow

Learn more about the new methods Iceland is using to keep lava from destroying towns. 

Iceland Uses Dirt to Keep Towns Safe From Volcanic Lava