The Dynamic Atmosphere
Clouds, Contrails, and Storms
The Dynamic Atmosphere
Clouds, Contrails, and Storms
The Space Shuttle orbits the Earth once every 90 minutes, enabling astronauts to take pictures at all times of the day from a multitude of angles. This unique perspective allows astronauts to photograph phenomena that are often missed by traditional satellite systems. Some of the dynamic atmospheric features that they capture are cloud systems (fronts, storms, & land/sea contrasts) and clouds patterns (streets, waves, & popcorn). Other dynamic atmospheric phenomena that are captured in astronaut photographs include fog, smoke, haze, and contrails. These features are generally subtle and often can only be viewed from an oblique angle. Among these, smoke, haze, and contrails result from human activities: fires, air pollution, and airplanes. Weather patterns over New Jersey usually originate from the west. Occasionally a winter storm may blow in from the northeast (called a "northeaster") or a late summer tropical storm may move in from the south. |
| REGIONAL VIEWS | ||||
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| FRONTAL BOUNDARIES | ||||
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| WINTER STORMS | ||||
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| LAND/SEA CONTRASTS | ||||
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| CLOUD STREETS | ||||
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| CLOUD WAVES | ||||
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| POPCORN | ||||
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| VALLEY FOG/CLOUDS | ||||
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| SMOKE | ||||
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| HIGH-LEVEL HAZE/CLOUD | ||||
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| CONTRAILS | ||||
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| STS077-706-033.jpg STS077-706-035.jpg STS028-079-087.jpg |
STS068-170-37B.jpg STS027-042-038.jpg ISS001-E-6630.jpg |
ISS001-345-006.jpg STS045-081-076.jpg STS062-098-075.jpg |
SL4-138-3894.jpg STS045-612-061.jpg |
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All imagery courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center.
For additional information on NASA Shuttle Photography, goto Shuttle Photography Basics. Please read our Disclaimer before using any of these photographs. |
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Grant
F. Walton Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis (CRSSA) |
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Site last updated 8 September 2003 |