Recently I’ve been spending more time watching volcanoes than anime. In particular, I’ve been keeping an eye on Java’s Gunung Merapi, which is currently in the middle of a major eruption. (See Eruptions for continuous coverage.) There’s a webcam perilously near the mountain. It’s not always online, and when it is, the lens is likely to be be covered with ash. But when conditions are right, the view is spectacular. (Update: the camera is out of commission again and probably won’t be working again until things cool down. That may be a while, since this is apparently Merapi’s largest eruption in 50 140 years.)
Update: It looks like the view at night is clearer. I’d like to send someone to Java with a bottle of Windex.
Update II: Here are a couple of videos, this one and that one.
Update III: Some very good pictures here. And here.
Update IV: When the camera isn’t working or is covered with ash, you can check the seismographs. Here’s what’s been happening during the past 24 hours:
(For some reason, the preview image looks pale grey or invisible, depending on the browser. Click on it to see it at full size in full color.)