Science Art: Cloud Vortices off Isla Socorro (Detail) by NASA Goddard Photo and Video

Scientific illustration: A satellite photo of clouds swirling into spirals.
May 25, 2010 at 17 :35 UTC Cloud vortices off Isla Socorro, North Pacific Satellite: Terra NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team To learn more about MODIS go to: http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?latest NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is home to the nation's largest organization of combined scientists, engineers and technologists that build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study the Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe.
Scientific illustration: A satellite photo of clouds swirling into spirals.

Scientific illustration: A satellite photo of clouds swirling into spirals.Click to embiggen

On May 25, 2010 at 17 :35 UTC, this was the weather off the North Pacific island called Isla Socorro: Partly cloudy with scattered spirals.

The interesting thing about truly chaotic systems is that sometimes they give rise to very orderly structures. Pleasantly swirly.

The photo was taken by Satellite: Terra, part of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team.