Mesmerizing close-up video of Iceland's Bárðarbunga volcano erupting

This amazing footage was captured by Eric Cheng and Ragnar Th. Sigurdsson with a DJI Phantom 2 drone and a GoPro Hero 3, which did not survive due to the extreme heat from the volcano.

Every time he flew directly over the caldera, however, he lost video signal and control. Cheng speculated that static electricity in the small amount of ash from the eruption, or perhaps an electrical charge in the lava, were interfering with the radio signals. During the last flight, Cheng’s wireless video signal went out completely. Worried, he triggered the drone’s failsafe mode, and after a few minutes, the whir of the drone’s propellers could be heard as it flew into range.

When he retrieved the drone, he noticed that the front of the GoPro had melted, causing the camera to malfunction. But the memory card was unharmed and the footage was safe.

See the amazing compilation video below and check out Daily Kos user REI's ongoing series on the volcanic eruptions in Iceland.

More community discussion on the GoPro footage can be found in The Termite's diary here.