The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission has captured a dramatic image of Mount Etna erupting on 2 June 2025 when a massive plume of ash, gas and rock suddenly burst from Europe's largest active volcano. According to news reports, the blast sent tourists fleeing as the eruption unfolded on the island of Sicily in Italy.

Mount Etna is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, but there hasn’t been an eruption of this magnitude since 2014, according to the national Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Observatory. The observatory reported that preliminary observations show a partial collapse of the northern flank of the volcano’s southeast crater.

The image here clearly depicts the lava flow and huge plume of smoke and ash.

A capture from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite also shows the sulphur dioxide emitted in the plume.