An underwater volcano has made a mysterious new island in the South Pacific — and NASA satellites captured the amazing process. | Insider Science

NASA has followed the Pacific Islands evolution for years. Then Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted. 🌋 “It gave us a window into a rapid-paced life history of an island that we can compare to hundreds of other islands in the oceans over time,” said Jim Garvin, Chief Scientist at NASA Goddard. Through the eyes of NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration and ESA - European Space Agency satellites, scientists are able to study the life cycle of volcanic islands – from formation to erupti

On Jan. 13, 2022, the Himawari-8 satellite captured an explosive eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano, located in the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga. 🌋 A tidal gauge in Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga, measured a one-foot tsunami wave that resulted from the blast. Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and operational partners at the Japan Meteorological Agency | Science Channel