# For volcano watchers - maybe you'll get lucky! {Kilauea may be erupting} **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 5, 2023, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665 "2023-09-05T20:52:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/261 "2025-05-14T01:50:51Z")
@smithsb: Thanks for the cite; that was fun. Punatics for sure. I could see AirBnB-ing there for a few days, but buying and living full time? No friggin’ way. Right now it’s about 4pm Hawaii time. V1 cam shows heavy steam / smoke that maybe is lit from below in addition to the daylight / early twilight in the crater. V2 cam is totally socked in with something foggy. @CairoCarol: Do you know what is obscuring V2 cam so often? It’s located far enough from these two recently erupting vents highlighted in the V1 view that it seems unlikely that steam / smoke from those vents should be obscuring V2. Are there other vents nearby V2 cam? Or something that tends to develop ordinary cloudiness that would prevent v2 from seeing the V1 vents? When V2 is clear, it seems unlikely that anything could obscure its view. But often it is. What am I missing? ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/262 "2025-05-14T05:05:01Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > What am I missing? I’ve been told that the main issue is that the v2 cam is too far away and so even with changing the focus it can’t zoom in the way v1 does. No idea if this explanation is correct. But I get what you are asking - it seems like lately you can get great v1 views, but then just a total blank from v2. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/263 "2025-05-14T13:31:05Z")
V2 is a pretty good distance from the vents. I’m surprised it can see them at all. [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54519068064_fa99e9718f_z.jpg "Screenshot 2025-05-14 082342") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/190534151@N04/54519068064/) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/264 "2025-05-14T13:49:51Z")
Seems to me the issue isn’t distance. I’m trying to understand what is the obscuration that makes the entire field of view of the v2 cam be simply uniform gray fog during the day. or uniform blackness at night despite v1 showing at least light if not active erupting.. Is there some other vent right in front of v2 that envelops it in a different cloud of smoke/steam than what we see issuing from the vents near v1? Is there something about prevailing wind and the crater shape that make ordinary atmospheric fog (or vog) form right there? etc. When the camera is in the clear, there’s plenty of rock and whatnot in the foreground, plus the two active vents in the distance most of the way across the crater floor. When it’s fogged over, there is _nothing_ that can be seen, near or far. Suggesting the obscuration is close to or even surrounding the v2 cam itself. e.g. right now its roughly 4am Hawaii time. V1 shows mild steaming / smoking. Which is lit, albeit not very brightly, by the lava pool below. The prevailing wind is carrying that smoke / steam away from V2’s line of sight. V2 shows absolute unremitting blackness. Something other than the two vents’ steam/smoke is obscuring the view. What is it? ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/265 "2025-05-14T15:45:15Z")
I also wondered about this… It’s now 05:41, and V1 is turning blue. I have been watching V2 for a a while, and it too is now blue. There are faint glimpses of volcanocity emerging; I think it is just very thick smoke/fog. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/266 "2025-05-14T15:50:33Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > I have been watching V2 for a a while, > and it too is now blue. If you look at the bottom right of V2, you can see some steam venting from a closer spot. Perhaps that vent is obscuring the camera. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/267 "2025-05-14T15:52:08Z")
Yes, that looks like the culprit. It’s all becoming clearer. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/268 "2025-05-14T15:57:23Z")
Excellent! Perfect timing to see what’s going on. There’s now enough light to see there are several small active vents scattered across the crater floor and one big one near V2 over to the right. This last one is probably the culprit when V2 is blinded. Or maybe another one up close beneath V2’s field of view ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2025, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/269 "2025-05-14T16:20:51Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > This last one is probably the culprit when V2 is blinded. Or maybe another one up close beneath V2’s field of view Having visited the crater in person a number of times (and three times during the current eruption), I am not so sure of that. The minor vents, even when they are very smoky, don’t obscure anything. It seems to be a combination of distance and maybe lack of resolution in low light at v2. Sometimes, if the light is right, the v2 view is great. Here’s an example from a while back (in the pause between episode 15 and 16, or somewhere around then) [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/RZrEkS5.png "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/RZrEkS5) ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/270 "2025-05-16T16:55:47Z")
And erupting again as I write! ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/271 "2025-05-16T19:31:10Z")
👍 Nice ! ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/272 "2025-05-16T21:48:03Z")
Is the V3 cam new? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/BqmpkUdMtyA/maxresdefault.jpg "[V3cam] Kīlauea volcano, Hawaii (south Halemaʻumaʻu crater)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqmpkUdMtyA) Brian ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/273 "2025-05-16T21:53:03Z")
Looks like it.. says it started streaming 18 minutes ago. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/274 "2025-05-16T22:03:48Z")
I think so! That’s great. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2025, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/275 "2025-05-17T03:20:35Z")
Annd it seems to have stopped. Here’s a [highlight reel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyZ5aGKvMSk). ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2025, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/276 "2025-05-17T23:41:13Z")
It looks like the v2cam is no more, at least for now. The link that went there now goes to the v3 cam (which has a good view from a different angle). ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2025, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/277 "2025-05-18T01:13:51Z")
Which post has the bad V2 cam link for you? [This is the youtube URL for the V2 cam](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiyttmA7YkA), and as far as I can tell it hasn’t changed, still streaming since Mar 27th. Very voggy view, but I can make out some of the smoke in the distance. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2025, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/278 "2025-05-18T09:13:33Z")
It must have been a glitch in the matrix. I had bookmarks in my browser for v1, v2, and v3, and then started getting v3 if I went to v2. Thanks @Ponderoid, after reading that there still is a v2 cam I deleted my old link and replaced it. Now I have links to 1, 2, and 3 bookmarked and they all work. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2025, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/279 "2025-05-18T09:16:23Z")
I had the exact same problem. Had to reorganize my links. V2 is often blank/obscured by something. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2025, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665/280 "2025-05-20T22:05:36Z")
The [v3 camera](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqmpkUdMtyA) is very shaky right now; not sure why. (If you watch for a little bit, you’ll see a lot of movement.) It’s not earthquakes and whatever it is does not affect the other cameras. My best guess is that it is windy and the other cameras are anchored better. But I really have no idea. Anyone else have a thought? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-volcano-watchers-maybe-youll-get-lucky-kilauea-may-be-erupting/989665.md?page=15)