Video shows northern lights dazzle above volcanic eruption in Iceland

Nature put on quite the show in Iceland this week.

A time-lapse video captured the northern lights above orange clouds of smoke billowing from an erupting volcano in the southwest part of the island nation. 

Other videos show lava bursting from multiple parts of the fissure that began erupting on Aug. 22 after a series of earthquakes. It’s the volcano’s sixth eruption since December. 

There has been “greater seismic activity” during this eruption than earlier ones, the Icelandic Meteorological Office wrote in an update on Thursday. 

“All data suggest that this eruption is the largest in the area since the unrest period began in the autumn of 2023,” the weather agency said in a previous update.

But the lava flow was not threatening a nearby town, according to the IMO’s hazard assessment on Thursday. Some areas could face hazards such as sinkholes and gas pollution, and conditions can change, the agency said. 

The nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa — one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions — reopened to visitors on Aug. 24 after temporarily closing out of precaution. 

Officials advised the public not to get too close to the eruption, but the sight has attracted visiting tourists. 

“The color of it was really amazing,” Sam Wilkinson, a tourist from Australia, said.

“It felt like we were being drawn in by… the fire,” he added.

The aurora borealis were also spotted over an earlier eruption in March. 

contributed to this report.