NASA Satellite Spots Letter 'J' in the Sky

News
By Andrea Thompson
published

Cyclone Victoria looks like letter J
In this image taken by NASA's Aqua satellite on April 11, 2013, Cyclone Victoria is in the shape of the letter 'J.' (Image credit: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team)

This story is brought to you by the letter "J."

NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Cyclone Victoria in the Southern Indian Ocean yesterday (April 11) and took a snapshot of the storm, which was in the shape of the letter "J." The shape was created by a band of thunderstorms that wrapped around the center of the circulation and extended northward.

Cyclone is the term for hurricanes and tropical storms in the Indian Ocean. Cyclone Victoria isn't a threat to land and was expected to weaken as it moved southwestward.

Read the NASA press release.

Andrea Thompson
Andrea Thompson
Live Science Contributor

Andrea Thompson is an associate editor at Scientific American, where she covers sustainability, energy and the environment. Prior to that, she was a senior writer covering climate science at Climate Central and a reporter and editor at Live Science, where she primarily covered Earth science and the environment. She holds a graduate degree in science health and environmental reporting from New York University, as well as a bachelor of science and and masters of science in atmospheric chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology.