[imagesource: Twitter / @pfranci2]

Late on Sunday night, Hawaii residents could see an orange glow in the distance, as if a second sunset was taking place.

Mauna Loa, the planet’s largest active volcano, began erupting, which is the first time it has done so in almost 40 years.

The eruption has so far been contained to the summit caldera of the volcano on the Big Island (Hawaii’s largest island) and residents are not at risk of getting swathed in boiling hot lava.

However, officials have raised the alert level from “advisory” to “warning” (the highest classification) considering the ash that was being emitted, which can contaminate water supplies, kill vegetation, and irritate the lungs.

The advisory for ashfall was in effect for the surrounding area overnight but has since been lifted. Again, no evacuation orders have been issued at this stage.

People across Hawaii shared pictures of her fiery glow:

Mauna Loa erupting at sunrise is literally the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen pic.twitter.com/YQdDfKHCMH

— Paul (@pfranci2) November 28, 2022

Mauna Loa is erupting in Hawaii 🌴 pic.twitter.com/M6U5GybifD

— David Arch (@racerxHI) November 28, 2022

These photographs were taken by Ken Hon, Scientist in Charge of HVO from Waikoloa at about 1:27am. #MaunaLoa #MaunaLoaErupts

Lava is still erupting from the summit & is overflowing from the caldera. No threats to populated areas currently. https://t.co/yLBkg85jMa pic.twitter.com/vhScY3WGjR

— USGS Volcanoes🌋 (@USGSVolcanoes) November 28, 2022

UPDATE: View from Saddle Road of lava from Mauna Loa volcano eruption as of 1:30 am — Hawaii County Civil Defense working to confirm if any lava has flowed outside the summit caldera (pics: @KITV4 viewer AJ Taaca) pic.twitter.com/dN5reiq4PW

— Tom George (@TheTomGeorge) November 28, 2022

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tweeted what the volcano looks like from space:

Around 11:30 p.m. HST last night, @NOAA‘s #GOESWest 🛰️ captured the eruption of Hawaii’s #MaunaLoa volcano, inside @Volcanoes_NPS.

This imagery shows the heat signature and the sulfur dioxide released from the #volcano‘s summit caldera, Moku‘āweoweo. pic.twitter.com/gHEG63rbLb

— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) November 28, 2022

A time-lapse captured the eruption from within the caldera:

Someone got an awesome aerial shot of lava spewing out:

New aerial footage showing lava flowing from Mauna Loa volcano eruption 🌋 @KITV4

(video: Paradise Helicopters) pic.twitter.com/oprB85vNdC

— Tom George (@TheTomGeorge) November 28, 2022

Sky News notes the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) adding that laval flows are only visible from Kona and that “winds may carry volcanic gas and possibly fine ash and Pele’s hair (a type of volcanic glass) downwind”:

HVO warned that: “Based on past events, the early stages of a Mauna Loa eruption can be very dynamic and the location and advance of lava flows can change rapidly.”

If the eruption migrates beyond the walls of the summit caldera, lava flows could “move rapidly downslope”, it added.

She’s raging:

#MaunaLoa is erupting from vents on the Northeast Rift zone. Flows are moving downslope to the north. USGS Photos from Civil Air Patrol fight. #MaunaLoaErupts @Volcanoes_NPS @Hawaii_EMA @CivilDefenseHI pic.twitter.com/kUYWYPdk4L

— USGS Volcanoes🌋 (@USGSVolcanoes) November 28, 2022

Per BBC, a series of warnings about a possible eruption emerged recently after a spate of earthquakes in the region, including more than a dozen reported tremors on Sunday.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since 1843:

The previous eruption in 1984 sent lava flows within 5 miles of Hilo, the island’s most populous town. But the Big Island’s population has more than doubled since 1980 to around 200,000 residents and Hawaii’s civil defence agency has warned residents could face a “lava disaster”.

“These lava flows rarely present a risk to life, but they can be extremely destructive to infrastructure,” said Dr Jessica Johnson, a British volcano geophysicist who has worked at the HVO.

Located inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and covering half of Big Island, Mauna Loa stands 4 169 metres above sea level and spans more than 5 179 square kilometres.

She is one of five volcanoes on the island and is much larger than the neighbouring Kilauea volcano, which erupted in 2018 and destroyed 700 homes.

Hopefully, Mauna Loa stays in check.

[sources:skynews&bbc]