Hawaiians Told to Stay Indoors After Major Volcanic Eruption

If you were to peek into the far-flung corners of the internet today, you may find yourself confronted with a number of strange theories about what’s going on in the night sky, and what it means for us down here on planet Earth.

That’s because it’s the day of the “great conjunction” between Saturn and Jupiter, in which the two planets will align closely in the night sky, appearing almost as if they are one.  The phenomenon has been called the “Christmas star” as well, and the proximity of the two planets hasn’t been this close for almost 800 years.

Of course there are plenty of folks who believe that this could bring about the end of the world, or some other great transformation here on Earth.

For the paranoid among us, the news out of Hawaii this morning was stressful.

Kilauea volcano erupted overnight for the first time in more than two years, placing Hawaii’s Big Island on a red alert Monday morning.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said the situation is “rapidly evolving.” It’s unclear what, if any, damage has occurred so far.

The eruption began late Sunday within the volcano’s Halemaumau crater, at the summit of Kilauea. The HVO said it detected a “glow” within the crater at about 9:30 p.m. local time.

Things then got hairy.

About an hour later, the agency recorded a magnitude 4.4 earthquake located beneath Kilauea’s south flank.

A “red” alert was then issued. It means an eruption is “imminent” with the likely emission of significant volcanic ash into the atmosphere.

An advisory was issued by the National Weather Service in Honolulu, warning residents to avoid falling volcanic ash, which is an eye and respiratory irritant, the agency said.

Residents in the affected area have been warned to remain indoors if possible, to avoid breathing any of the potentially harmful ash from the eruption.

Photos of the event were soon circulating on social media.

Photographer Ken Boyer (@kenboyerphoto) broadcasting live on Facebook from Kīlauea overlook, answering questions from viewers around the world. Earlier scenes captured explosions as the water lake in the crater vaporized. #kilauea #volcano #hawaii pic.twitter.com/zXInpCdiMM

— Ryan Kawailani Ozawa (@hawaii) December 21, 2020

Sunday night earthquake rocks Hawaii Island, and Halemaʻumaʻu Crater within Kīlauea Caldera suddenly erupts. 2020 isn't going to go quietly. Livestream: https://t.co/mh0zLtSFRH #hiquake #earthquake #kilauea #volcano #hawaii pic.twitter.com/nR8fThBYJJ

— Ryan Kawailani Ozawa (@hawaii) December 21, 2020

2020 is wild: Earthquake and volcano erupting tonight on the Big Island of #Hawaii.

Video by Ken Boyer captures the eruption from the Halema’uma’u pit crater of the #Kilauea caldera at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. pic.twitter.com/aW9Eh0u5C2

— KCazares (@cazarespr) December 21, 2020

And while this may not be the end of the world that some predicted, we still wish well for our fellow Americans in Hawaii.