Astronaut Records Massive Thunderstorm From Space

First Posted: Apr 27, 2016 05:58 AM EDT
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British astronaut Tim Peake is currently aboard the International Space Station, and considering the magnificent views from that altitude, it's no wonder he likes taking photos of the Earth below. His latest shot? A massive cumulonimbus cloud on Tuesday Morning.

KVAL noted that the flat top of the cloud indicates that a storm reaches very high up in the atmosphere that it goes head-on against the stratosphere, with the temperature warming with the altitude. This then provides a sort of ceiling with the clouds spreading out along the invisible barrier.

The bubbles in the middle, on the other hand, is where updrafts are intense -- enough for them to have momentum to burst through the stratosphere, which is another sign of a strong storm. Peak did not mention where the photo was from, but many seem to think that is was taken on April 3 over Nepal.

The photo looked incredible, but in February, Peake recorded a time-lapse video of a lightning storm over Earth. It was only 34 seconds long, but it made rounds on the internet as its beauty fascinated people from around the world. Peake said of the video that time, "Amazing how much lightning can strike our planet in a short time."

Peake also regularly captures natural phenomena. Earlier this year, The Daily Mail noted that he also took a photo of the Klyuchevskaya volcano in Russia. He also previously took a photo of the Emi Koussi Volcano and the Aorounga impact crater.

He did speak of Mount Everest, which he said is actually harder to see it from space, despite its massive size.

Astronauts taking gorgeous pictures from outer space are not as rare as one might think. For instance, Jeff Williams in the ISS observatory took nighttime shots of Seattle and Portland when the station passed by the Pacific Northwest.

See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone

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