Typhoon Soudelor's Eye Close-Up from NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP

On August 6, 2015, NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed over powerful Typhoon Soudelor when it was headed toward Taiwan. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi satellite captured this night-time infrared close-up image of Soudelor's eye. The infrared image that showed there were some thunderstorms within the typhoon with very cold cloud top temperatures, colder than -63F/-53C. Temperatures that cold stretch high into the troposphere and are capable of generating heavy rain. At 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT) on August 6, 2015, Typhoon Soudelor had maximum sustained winds near 90 knots (103.6 mph/166.7 kph). It was centered near 21.3 North latitude and 127.5 East longitude, about 324 nautical miles (372.9 miles/600 km) south of Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan. It was moving to the west at 10 knots (11.5 mph/18.5 kph). Credit: UWM/CIMSS/SSEC, William Straka III NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram