(Image credit: Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey)

On Dec. 21, 2021, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai submarine volcano in Tonga erupted with explosive force, sending a shockwave that went around the world many times.

There's presently another eruption happening within the Pacific nation, which contains around a hundred and seventy islands, however, it's a far calmer situation. The underwater Home Reef mountain has up on top of the surface of the ocean thanks to a tiny low eruption that began on Sept. 10, and therefore the child island that it shaped has been captured by the powerful Landsat nine satellite, a joint project between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that launched to Earth orbit last year.

The volcano emerged from the ocean only eleven hours after the eruption began, with lava and ash making a small island. Four days later, the acreage of the little island was concerning 1 acre (0.4 hectares). By Sept. 20, it reached six acres (2.4 hectares).

Landsat nine snapped its photograph on Sept. 14, when the island was 1 acre in size. The shot shows discolored water agitated by the eruption, also as an outsized white plume. "Previous research suggests that these plumes of superheated, acidic H2O contain particulate matter, volcanic rock fragments, and sulfur," according to a NASA statement.

Overall, the eruption is very minor compared to last year' Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai blast. Current advisories from the Tongan government recommend that mariners stay at least 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) away and note that the steam and ash plumes create an occasional risk to aircraft.