Gunung Soputan has erupted on Tuesday morning – 40km south of Kota Manado and 18km away from the Trans-Sulawesi highway. No damage has been reported. 
The ash cloud didn’t hit any populated areas, and was spread 120-150km across the Molucca Sea (still far from Ternate).
Soputan is a 1784m high stratovolcano, one of the 129 volcanoes in Indonesia. It is erupting every few years (forty seven eruptions known since year 1785).
The volcanic chain to which it belongs, however is an extreme northeastern tip of Sulawesi – over 400km away from the eclipse path, our primary destination. And there is no other volcanic activity in the other parts of Sulawesi. Therefore, it has no direct effect* on the forthcoming journey.
*There might be a risk of the temporary airport disruptions due to volcanic activity at almost ANY other place of Indonesia – like Jakarta, Surabaya, Bali. (so please allow for a few extra days when planning)
