Images
October 11, 2025 - Von Kármán Vortices Behind the Canary Islands
Tweet
On October 9, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of the Canary Islands spawning dramatic swirling clouds.
The three trails of whirling clouds that lie downwind of the Canary Islands are called von Kármán vortices. The distinctive pattern can be created anytime a fluid pushes pass a tall, isolated object. The fluid splits around the object, creating a swirling eddy downwind. Linear chains of these eddies are called von Kármán vortex streets.
While it might be more familiar to see such eddies in water, such as when a river runs past a stationary pier, the atmosphere is also a fluid, and it is in constant motion. The motion of air is not visible to the naked eye, but the presence of clouds can make the eddies visible.
Von Kármán vortices routinely appear in satellite imagery across many locations on Earth. In this case, the vortices were caused as wind rushed past the volcanic peaks of the Canary Islands. Other common locations include near Guadalupe Islands, off the coast of Chile, and behind several small islands in the southwest Indian Ocean.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 10/9/2025
Resolutions:
1km (858.4 KB), 500m (2.4 MB), 250m (3.6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
On October 9, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of the Canary Islands spawning dramatic swirling clouds.
The three trails of whirling clouds that lie downwind of the Canary Islands are called von Kármán vortices. The distinctive pattern can be created anytime a fluid pushes pass a tall, isolated object. The fluid splits around the object, creating a swirling eddy downwind. Linear chains of these eddies are called von Kármán vortex streets.
While it might be more familiar to see such eddies in water, such as when a river runs past a stationary pier, the atmosphere is also a fluid, and it is in constant motion. The motion of air is not visible to the naked eye, but the presence of clouds can make the eddies visible.
Von Kármán vortices routinely appear in satellite imagery across many locations on Earth. In this case, the vortices were caused as wind rushed past the volcanic peaks of the Canary Islands. Other common locations include near Guadalupe Islands, off the coast of Chile, and behind several small islands in the southwest Indian Ocean.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 10/9/2025
Resolutions:
1km (858.4 KB), 500m (2.4 MB), 250m (3.6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
