October 22, 2026—Helicopter overflight of Halema‘uma‘u

An aerial view of the vent complex within Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea, taken during a helicopter overflight on October 22, 2026. Deep within the north vent (lower left) a small area of incandescence was visible during the flight but isn’t visible in this photo. A lava surface was visible within the west vent, which is near the center of this image, but only some weak incandescence is visible through the plume in this image. The south vent, which was buried at the surface by episode 55 lava, is completely obscured by the gas plume in this photo. USGS photo taken by L. DeSmither.