This is what the Kilauea volcano eruption in Hawaii looks like from space

Kilauea, the volcano on Hawaii's Big Island that's been erupting since May 3, is visible from space — and astronauts have been helping with the emergency response.

Since the start of the eruption, lava flows have forced evacuations, closed a geothermal plant that supplies 25 percent of the island's power and created a noxious plume of "laze" when it began flowing into the ocean.

"One of the first things emergency responders wanted to know was where the lava was coming out, where are all the fissures," said J. Carver Struve, NASA's emergency management co-lead, in a NASA news release.

Five NASA and partner satellites have helped provide information to scientists and responders on the ground in Hawaii, according to the release.

That information includes detecting active fissures and fires, the height and composition of volcanic plumes, ground "deformation" caused by the movement of magma and images of ash and sulfur dioxide plumes, NASA said in their release.

The agency said they are also using aircaft to fly over the eruption and detect changes in the volcano's topography that come with the lava flows.

Additionally, astronauts on the International Space Station can see the eruption and have sent photos of it to the U. S. Geological Survey and emergency responders, NASA said.

A few of the astronauts on board the International Space Station have tweeted their images of the volcanic eruption.

Since the eruption began, USGS scientists said sulfur dioxide emissions from Kilauea have more than doubled, according to the Associated Press. The volcano's summit is letting out 15,000 tons of the gas daily — up from 6,000 tons before the eruption began.

About 2,000 people have been evacuated since May 3. Lava has destroyed more than 40 structures, the eruption has opened more than 20 vents into the ground — four of which have merged into one large crack — and sent lava toward the ocean at a speed of 300 yards per hour, according to the Associated Press. One person has been injured.

On Monday night, the lava destroyed a building near the Puna Geothermal Venture plant, which provides about a quarter of the Big Island's power. Hawaii authorities said Tuesday that the plant is "essentially safe," according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

This story was originally published May 23, 2018 at 10:25 AM with the headline "This is what the Kilauea volcano eruption in Hawaii looks like from space."