Unlike some of its perpetually active neighbors on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Raikoke Volcano on the Kuril Islands rarely erupts. The small, oval-shaped island most recently exploded in 1778 and 1924.

The dormant period ended around 4:00 a.m. local time on June 22, 2019, when a vast plume of ash and volcanic gases shot up from its 700-meter-wide crater. Several satellites — as well as astronauts on the International Space Station — observed as a thick plume rose and then streamed east as it was pulled into the circulation of a storm in the North Pacific.