In 2016, 10 unusual dark cloud holes swirling in vortices were detected in the airspace over Heard Island. (Image credit: NASA/Landsat/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS) FAST FACTS
Where is it? Heard Island, Indian Ocean [-53.116414344, 73.51793263]
What's in the photo? An unusual flow of Karman eddies emanating from a hidden summit.
Which satellite took the photo? Landsat 8.
When was this done? May 3, 2016
This stunning satellite image shows 10 swirling “dark voids” appearing over an uninhabited volcanic island in the Indian Ocean. The black spots are the result of atmospheric cloud swirls, but they are unusually pronounced and significantly distorted compared to most other examples of the phenomenon.
The spinning voids stretch beyond Heard Island, an uninhabited Australian territory in the southern Indian Ocean, about 1,500 kilometers north of Antarctica. The cloud-shrouded land measures about 368 square kilometers.
On average, the dark spots span about 13 km (8 miles) in width, and their size decreases slightly as they move, according to NASA's Earth Observatory. They initially move away from the island in a northeasterly direction (left to right).
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