Astronomy Picture of the Day

Explanation: Mt. Etna erupted spectacularly in 2001 June. Pictured above, the volcano was photographed expelling bubbles of hot magma, some of which measured over one metre across. One reason planetary geologists study Earth's Mt. Etna is because of its likely similarity to volcanoes on Mars. Mt. Etna, a basalt volcano, is composed of material similar to Mars, and produces similar lava channels. Located in Sicily, Italy, Mt. Etna is not only one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, it is one of the largest, measuring over 50 kilometres at its base and rising nearly 3 kilometres high.