The Kilauea volcano eruption in Hawaii is visible from space - here are the dramatic photos

A.J. (Drew) Feustel/Twitter

The eruption from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano has been so massive, astronauts said they could easily see it from space.

• The Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupted last week and has shown no signs of stopping.
• Two NASA astronauts said it was easy to see the eruptions from space.
• They posted some dramatic photos of the ash plumes from above.

The ongoing volcanic eruptions from Hawaii have been so massive that astronauts can see them from space - and the pictures are incredible.

Ricky Arnold and AJ Feustel, US astronauts stationed on to the International Space Station, posted dramatic photos to Twitter of the ash plume emerging from the Kilauea volcano on the east of the Big Island.

Ricky Arnold/Twitter

The volcano erupted last Thursday and is showing no signs of slowing down.

The crater is already emitting noxious fumes which can make breathing difficult for children and elderly people. The ash cloud has reached as high as 12,000 feet about sea level.

Feustal wrote: "It is easy to see the activity on Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano from the International Space Station. We hope those in the vicinity of the eruption can stay out of harm's way."

Ricky Arnold/Twitter

Lava and molten rock bursting from the volcano's fissures also destroyed at least 26 homes and four other buildings over the weekend, forcing 1,700 people to evacuate.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) on Tuesday issued a rare "red alert" warning, which means a major volcanic eruptions is imminent or underway, and that the ash clouds could affect air traffic.

Here's a shot of the volcano from a lot closer to the ground:

Kevan Kamibayashi/US Geological Survey

A US Geological Survey photo of ash rising from the Puu Oo vent on Hawaii's Kilauea volcano.