Photos: Savanna and Prairie Garden
Feb. 16th, 2026 11:24 pm( Walk with me ... )
Home Reef Adds On
Feb. 17th, 2026 05:01 amHome Reef, a mid-ocean volcano in the Tonga archipelago, continues to build onto its modest land area. Volcanic activity ramped up in December 2025, marking the latest in a series of periodic eruptions that began in 2022. The eruption was ongoing as of mid-February 2026.
Satellites are critical to monitoring volcanoes such as Home Reef in remote and difficult-to-access locations. These images, from December 3, 2025 (left), December 27, 2025 (center), and January 28, 2026 (right), captured some of the volcano’s growth during its recent spate of activity. They were acquired with the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on Landsat 8 and 9.
Thermal data from MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) indicate that this eruptive phase began on December 17, 2025, after about five months of quiet, said Simon Plank. Plank, a researcher at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), has been studying Home Reef’s eruption dynamics and cycles of growth and erosion since it awoke in 2022 and emerged above sea level.
Beginning in December 2025, lava flows first extended the island’s footprint to the east and south, then to the northwest, and later to the north. Based on synthetic aperture radar data from DLR’s TerraSAR-X satellite, the island had grown by nearly 8 hectares (20 acres)—about the size of 15 American football fields—by early February, Plank said.
Plumes of volcanic gases billowed from a 100-meter-diameter vent throughout the eruptive period. Pilots in the area observed plumes increasing in height during the last week of January, Tonga Geological Services reported, and the agency raised the aviation color code to orange due to the possible presence of suspended ash.
The discolored water around the island is a sign of gases and magmatic fluids venting from the volcano. Previous research has shown that such plumes of superheated, acidic water can contain particulate matter, volcanic rock fragments, and sulfur, and that they can appear before signs of an eruption above the surface. Concentrations of yellow sulfur mixing with the blue ocean may account for the water’s greenish appearance.
Home Reef is part of the Tonga Volcanic Arc, a line of submarine and island volcanoes along the Tonga-Kermadec subduction zone. One of its neighbors, Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, produced one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recent history—large enough to send a volcanic plume into the mesosphere. The current activity at Home Reef is much tamer; officials say it poses low risk to inhabited islands nearby.
NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Lindsey Doermann.
References & Resources
- Global Volcanism Program (2026) Home Reef. Accessed February 12, 2026.
- MIROVA (2026, February) Home Reef latest images and radiative power. Accessed February 12, 2026.
- NASA Earth Observatory (2025, February 18) A Growth Spurt for Home Reef. Accessed February 12, 2026.
- Plank, S., et al. (2025) The evolution of the 2022–2024 eruption at Home Reef, Tonga, analyzed from space shows vent migration due to erosion. Scientific Reports 15, 11508.
- Tonga Geological Services (2026) Tonga Geological Services, Government of Tonga. Accessed February 12, 2026.
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Photos: House Yard and South Lot
Feb. 16th, 2026 11:09 pm( Walk with me ... )
A Return To Sanity
Feb. 17th, 2026 04:00 amRead A Return To Sanity

Caller: "That first agent I spoke to was so s***ty! They kept talking about a return policy, and that's s***ty too! Everything about your company is so s***ty!"
I was literally just flipping through tabs on Amazon as I half-listened to the tirade that was minutes in length, when finally, she started raising her voice and screaming at me:
Read A Return To Sanity
New Cover: “But Not Tonight”
Feb. 17th, 2026 02:14 am
I was not expecting to make another cover so soon, so, uh, surprise: A cover of Depeche Mode’s most cheerful song, done as if Erasure decided to crack at it. Why did I do this? Because I was trying to clean up a previous version of this song that I did (it was sonically a little smeary and I hadn’t learned how to edit out when I loudly took in breaths), which necessitated laying down a new vocal track, and once I did that, one thing led to another, and here we are.
I am actually really happy with this one. I did harmonies! Intentionally! Also, I do think it really does sound kinda like Erasure covering Depeche Mode (if such a thing is a possible considering the bands share a Vince Clarke in common). I mean, I don’t sing like Andy Bell, but then, who does, so, fine. Good enough for an afternoon! Enjoy.
— JS
Notes for "Wanting a Little of Everything"
Feb. 16th, 2026 08:55 pmThese are the notes for "Wanting a Little of Everything."
( Read more... )
Poem: "Wanting a Little of Everything"
Feb. 16th, 2026 08:51 pmThis poem is spillover from the July 2, 2019 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from Dreamwidth users Dialecticdreamer and Siliconshaman. It also fills the "Just Friends" square in my 7-1-19 card for the Winterfest in July Bingo. This poem belongs to the Shiv thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
Warning: This poem features detailed discussion of kink, so please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
So far sponsors include:
FULLY FUNDED
Amount donated = $110
Verses posted = 118 of 325
Amount remaining to fund fully = $31.50
Amount needed to fund next verse = $0.25
Amount needed to fund the verse after that = $0.50
( Read more... )
The Storm Is Strongest Inside The Mall
Feb. 17th, 2026 02:00 amRead The Storm Is Strongest Inside The Mall
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One week there's a weather warning for the entire county, with one of two options: there will be an ICE STORM like there's NO TOMORROW, and all the snow on the ground will freeze, and it will be very dangerous even to be outside... or it will be 50 degrees and pleasant and balmy.
Guess which one the county prepared for, and guess which one actually happened?
Most People Use Automated Minute Takers These Days
Feb. 17th, 2026 01:00 amRead Most People Use Automated Minute Takers These Days
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Woman: "So let's discuss what the other groups are doing in similar markets and compare—"
Me: "—excuse me, but would you mind putting on headphones for your meeting?"
Woman:Â *Turns to me, muting herself.* "No. If you want peace and quiet, stay at home, or book a private office."
Wood You Be More Specific
Feb. 17th, 2026 12:00 amRead Wood You Be More Specific
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Me: "What kind of wood would you like your table to be made of?"
Caller: "Real wood, obviously!"
Me: *Huge sigh.* "Our basic options are pine or oak, but we can also get cherry, mahogany, or a few other varieties upon request."
Caller: "OMG!" *Yes, she spelled OMG out loud.* "Just wood! How hard can it be to make me a wood table?"
Food
Feb. 16th, 2026 05:54 pmA planet-friendly Nordic diet may slash your risk of early death by nearly 25%.
A major new study suggests that eating the Nordic way could help you live significantly longer—while also helping the planet. Researchers from Aarhus University found that people who closely followed the 2023 Nordic dietary guidelines had a 23% lower risk of death compared to those who didn’t.
Compare with other healthy and/or eco-friendly diets. Notice the confluence of eating less red meat and more whole plant foods.
Climatarian
Flexitarian
Mediterranean
Vegetarian
Joey Tribbiani Working At The Clothing Store
Feb. 16th, 2026 11:00 pmRead Joey Tribbiani Working At The Clothing Store
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Me: "A customer tried to return some underwear. Not that we can accept returns on underwear anyway, but they were obviously used."
Coworker #1: "How were they obviously used?"
Came Back Out Of The Blue
Feb. 16th, 2026 10:30 pmRead Came Back Out Of The Blue

A customer I can only describe as shady entered our liquor store and spent ten minutes browsing. I stayed at the checkout and watched him on the CCTV.
He ended up shoving two bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue down his pants and walked out. I called the police and told them what happened.
Half-Price Sale in Not Quite Kansas
Feb. 16th, 2026 04:10 pmPrices on open epics are locked at the time of opening; however, if anyone wants to donate to open epics and buy poetry, spending $100 will get you the quarter-price rate on the new poems, regardless of the rate on the open epic(s) you support. There are no open epics at present, so you may open one if you wish.
We are repeating the special discount for purchases of $100 or more, in which you get poetry at 25% of its original price instead of 50%. (Note that this increases the amount of poetry you get, rather than reducing the amount of money spent; the point is to get this stuff off of my desk. Yes, I can afford it.) That size of donation also makes you a k-fan which comes with some other perks, like a year-end collection of a poetic series. If several folks want to bundle their orders to make the $100 threshold and have one person send it all, that's okay; you'll get the discount and I'll list all your names as donors, but you'll have to decide amongst you who gets the k-fan credit. If you host a pool, please close it the day before the sale closes, so you have time to collect funds and turn them in on time.
Some of the poems are in sequence of related action, so in places there are prerequisites before a poem can be published. They can be sponsored at any time, just might have to wait for publication until something else gets posted first. Those are marked accordingly. I have also made lists of poems which unlock sequels, and poems which have prerequisites.
Linkback perk: The following poems have verses left to reveal. Boost the signal for this half-price sale and tell me which poem you want to extend.
"Delight in Another,"
"A Sense of Weather Changes,"
"Ouroboros Insects,"
"The Loving Embrace of Night,"
"Generations of Cooks Past,"
"Homefree and Clear, "
"One Bite at a Time,"
"Stars and Diamonds,"
"Mishpocha,"
"Changing Your Nature,"
"Besa."

( Read more... )
Mum Is About To Cause A Bloodbath
Feb. 16th, 2026 10:00 pmRead Mum Is About To Cause A Bloodbath

I was out shopping with my mum when I felt the familiar feeling of blood running down my face. I pinched my nose and turned to the nearest shop worker.
Me: "Excuse me, do you have a toilet?"
Worker: "No, I'm so sorry, it's staff only."
No Lights, Camera, Action!
Feb. 16th, 2026 09:00 pmRead No Lights, Camera, Action!
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A week later, the power company was all over the news, bragging about how they'd finished power restoration to the area. Everyone had power again!
Except us.
A Lovely Valentine’s Day Dinner At Dozo
Feb. 16th, 2026 08:09 pm
If you caught my last two posts over Dozo, Dayton’s premier underground sushi dining experience, then you already know how much I love it. What better way to celebrate the day of love than with Dozo’s special Valentine’s Day 7-course omakase style chef’s menu that offers off-menu selections and limited, intimate seating at the bar so you can watch the chefs work their magic? And trust me, it is indeed magic.
Not only was I extremely excited about the curated sushi menu and brand new sake pairing to go alongside it, but Tender Mercy (the bar that houses Dozo) posted their Valentine’s Day cocktail line-up a few days ago, and it looked incredible, as well.
Long story short, I knew my tastebuds were in for a real treat.
I booked the 8:30pm slot on their first day of offering this menu, which was Tuesday. Getting a later start to dinner than usual only made me that much hungrier for what was to come.
I got to Tender Mercy about twenty minutes early, so I just had a seat at their bar and perused the special cocktail menu:

I love this dessert cocktail menu because whatever your poison is, they’ve got it. A gin drink, a vodka cocktail, even tequila and bourbon. And, of course, a mocktail. They all sounded so delicious but also very rich, and I didn’t want to spoil my appetite with something on the heavier side (like that cheesecake foam, YUM) so I actually opted for the Pillow Princess and asked the bartender to put his spirit of choice in it. He said he recommended Hennessey Cognac (I’m pretty sure it was Hennessy Very Special but I’m just guessing from the brief look I got at the bottle).
I can’t say I’ve had Cognac all that much, but the sweet, almost vanilla-like flavor of the Hennessy worked super well in it.

I’m glad I went with the bartender’s recommendation, he’s truly a pro and has never steered me wrong before so I trust his judgement a hundred percent.
After a few minutes, it was time to get seated in Dozo. There were only six of us total at the bar, a group of three on my right and a couple on my left. Our menu was tucked into our envelope shaped napkin and I briefly surveyed what was going to be served.

Truly the most eye-catching dish was the wasabi ice cream. Listen, I trust Dozo, but man, did that sound absolutely bonkers. I held strong in my faith, though.
Per usual, I went with the sake pairing, because when else do I get to try so many different expertly curated sakes? Plus, the chef said he tried each of the sake pairings and highly recommended it.
Up first was a spicy salmon onigiri:

I wasn’t sure how spicy the salmon would actually end up being, so I had my water on standby. After getting through the warm, soft, perfectly seasoned rice, I was met with a generously portioned salmon filling that wasn’t at all too spicy! This onigiri was hands down the best one I’ve ever had, though I will admit my experience is rather limited in that department. Of course, it’s not everyday I have an onigiri, but this one definitely takes the cake.
For the sake pairing I was served Amabuki’s “I Love Sushi” Junmai. Obviously, this is a fantastic name for a sake. It says all you need to know about it right in the name, plain and simple. Jokes aside, this was a perfectly fine sake. With a dry, crisp flavor, it didn’t really stand out to me much but paired well with the umami flavor of the onigiri.
Off to a great start (I expected no less), the second course was looking mighty fine:

From left to right, we have hamachi (yellowtail), hirame (flounder), and skipjack tuna. The hamachi’s wasabi sauce packed a ton of great wasabi flavor without painfully clearing my sinuses. It had just the right amount of strength, a very balanced piece. The flounder was exceptionally tender with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. The skipjack has always been a tried and true classic in my previous Dozo experiences, and today’s serving of it was no different. All around a total winner of a course, with tender, umami packed pieces.
To accompany this course, I was served Takatenjin “Soul of the Sensei,” which is a Junmai Daiginjo. This sake is made with Yamadanishiki, which is considered to be the king of sake rice. “Soul of the Sensei” was created as a tribute to revered sake brewer Hase Toji. Much like the first sake we were served, it was crisp with a slight dryness, pairing well with the fresh fish and savory flavors. It had just a touch of melon.
Up next was this smaller course with a piece of chu toro and a piece of smoked hotate:

Both pieces looked stunning and fresh. The chef explained that chu toro is the fatty belly meat of the tuna, which is a more prized and delicious cut, a real treat. Indeed, it was very buttery and had a rich mouthfeel. I didn’t know what hotate was, but it turns out it’s a scallop, and I think they mentioned something about hotate scallops come from a specific region in Japan, but I might be misremembering. Anyways, I love scallops, but I’ve definitely never had one that’s been smoked before. It was fun to watch the chef smoke all of the pieces before dishing them out.
Oh my goodness this piece was incredible. It had a luscious texture and complex, beautifully smokiness that didn’t detract from the flavor of the scallop. It was a masterfully smoked piece of high quality, fresh scallop. Remarkable piece! Great course all around.
Instead of sake for this course, we were served a shot of Suntory Whiskey. but I have no idea which type specifically. Maybe the Toki? But also very well could’ve been the Hibiki Harmony because the shot was definitely a dark, ambery color. I wish I had a palate for whiskey, especially premium Japanese whiskey that the kitchen so generously gifted upon each guest, but truthfully it was a tough couple of sips for me. Like fire in my throat, that shit put some damn hair on my chest. Super grateful for the lovely whiskey, but sheesh it definitely burned. The chefs actually took the shot with us, how fun!
Fear not, there was some lovely mushroom and yuzu ramen on the way to ease the pain:

This ramen is actually vegetarian, made with umami-packed mushrooms and bright yuzu citrus. The green onions and drops of chili oil drizzled on top added a fantastic balance of flavors for a well-rounded, hearty, warm bowl of delicious ramen that was good to the last drop. I wish they had ramen more often, it was so great to sip on some warm broth while it was below freezing outside. I absolutely loved the stoneware bowl it was served in, I would love to have something like that in my own kitchen.
For the sake, this one was truly special. Hana Makgeolli “MAQ8 Silkysonic.” Look how CUTE these cans are! These adorable single-serve cans contain a fun, slightly bubbly, just-a-touch-sweet sake that was a great addition to the night’s line-up. It’s a bit lower alcohol content than some other sakes at 8%, making it so you can enjoy more than one can of this bubbly goodness if you so desired.
I was definitely pretty full by this point, but I powered on for this next course consisting of some torched sake, unagi, and suzuki.

It was a little confusing with the first piece of fish in this lineup being called sake, since I assumed sake was just the drink we all know and love, but sake is actually also salmon. It was fun to watch the chefs use a blowtorch to torch the salmon, as any course involving fire is a great course. The salmon had a sauce on top that I hate to say I can’t remember what exactly it was. I know, I had one job! I should’ve taken better notes, but there was so much going on between being served the sake and explained the specifics of that plus the chefs explaining the whole course, plus the couple next to me conversing with me (we had lovely conversations). It was a lot, okay! Sauce aside, the salmon was excellent and beautifully torched.
For the unagi, I actually love eel, so I knew this piece was about to be bomb. With the sweet, thick glaze on top and fresh slice of jalapeno, this piece was loaded with deliciousness. I was worried the jalapeno slice would bring too much heat to the dish for me, but it was perfect and not hot at all, just had great flavor.
The final piece, suzuki, is Japanese sea bass. There is a small pickled red onion sliver on top, it is not a worm, to be clear. Apparently the Japanese sea bass is known by different names depending on how mature the fish is, suzuki being the most grown stage of the fish. This piece was very simply dressed and the tender fish spoke for itself.
The sake for this course was Tentaka’s “Hawk in the Heavens” Tokubetsu Junmai. Much like with the food of this course, I should have taken better notes, because I don’t remember this sake at all. I don’t remember what it tasted like, my thoughts on it, nothing. I didn’t even remember the name until I looked at the menu again. I am so sorry, it is truly only because it was the sixth course and I had just taken a shot and was busy talking! Forgive me and we shall move on.
For our last savory course, it was two pieces of the chef’s choice:

The chefs said in honor of it being Valentine’s Day, they wanted to give us a bit more of a lux piece, and opted for wagyu and torched toro. Sending off the savory courses with wagyu was truly a delight, it really provided the turf in “surf and turf.” Every time I’ve had wagyu from Dozo it’s been so tender and rich, the fat just melting in my mouth. It’s also a fun novelty since I don’t really have wagyu anywhere else.
Finally, it was time for dessert. I couldn’t wait to try the wasabi ice cream:

I would’ve never imagined that wasabi ice cream could be even remotely edible, let alone enjoyable, but oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. How was this so good?! The creaminess contrasting with the crunchy wasabi peas, the perfect amount of sweetness mixing with the distinct flavor of the wasabi, LORD! It was incredibly, bizarrely delicious. The wasabi didn’t have that sinus-clearing bite to it, yet retained its unmistakable palate. What a treat.
For the final sake, I was served Kiuchi Brewery’s “Awashizuki” Sparkling Sake. I was particularly excited for this one because I love sparkling sakes, they are undoubtedly my favorite category of sake. Anything with bubbles is just better! I will say that the Awashizuki seemed to be much more lowkey on the bubbles than some other sparkling sakes I’ve had before. The bubbles were a bit more sparse and toned down, but it was still lightly carbonated enough that you could tell it wasn’t still. It was sweeter and more refreshing than the others in the evening’s lineup, which makes sense since it was the dessert course pairing. I really liked this one!
All in all, I had yet another fantastic experience at Dozo, and I absolutely loved their Valentine’s Day lineup. The limited seating at the bar made it feel all the more exclusive and special, and every course was totally delish. I got to try lots of new sakes and have really nice chats with the people next to me, and really just had a great evening all around.
The ticket for this event was $95, after an added 18% gratuity and taxes, it was more like $125. The sake pairing was $50 and I also tipped the waitress that was pouring the pairings and telling me about them. It was definitely a bit of a splurge event but hey, it was for V-Day! Gotta treat yourself. And I’m so glad I did!
Which piece of fish looks the most enticing to you? Or perhaps the ramen is more your speed? Have you tried any of the sakes from the lineup? Let me know in the comments, and have a great day!
-AMS









