Interesting Photo of the Day: Astronaut Photographs the Eye of a Deadly Hurricane

Interesting Photos

Astronaut Edward M. Fincke, a NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer, captured this incredible image as he orbited 230 miles above the storm aboard the International Space Station. He was using a Kodak DCS 760 camera set at 22mm, 1/500 of a second, f/2.8, and ISO 100:

“The Eye of the Storm” by NASA ISS (Via NASA. Click image to see full size.)

Many people who see this image admit to experiencing feelings of vertigo and unease, thanks to the disorienting perspective. In actuality, the metal panels pictured are ISS solar arrays, but let your imagination drive, and they quickly become skyscrapers beneath impending doom.

Hurricane Ivan ranked as a Category 5 storm with sustained wind speeds reached 165 mph and qualified as one of the strongest hurricanes on record. It caused significant tropical storm damage more than 170 miles from its eye in Grenada, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Cuba, the United States, and other areas.