Turbulent Times

Cloud swirls forming patterns around the 1050-meter-high (0.65-mile-high) summit on the island of Socorro, Mexico. Left: April 23, 2000. Right: May 9, 2000. These turbulent atmospheric eddies form in the wake of an obstacle, while the surrounding clouds make the vortex patterns visible. To the northeast, much subtler disturbances are associated with the tiny Isla San Benedicto. Both islands are part of a group known as the Revillagigedo Archipelago, and are located about 400 kilometers (250 miles) equatorward of the southern tip of Baja California.

Images taken by NASA's Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR). Credit: NASA/GSFC/JPL, MISR Team.