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caribbean Sea, Spiral Eddy

5. Caribbean Sea, Spiral Eddy

In this 1985 photograph of the Caribbean Sea between the Panama Canal and Jamaica, another cyclonic eddy is emphasized by the reflectivity of oil on the ocean surface where a tanker has bilged its tanks. Light clouds appear in the top right of the frame and are peppered across the view from that cloud bank. The shadows cast by the clouds give the impression of a double image. Here, the smoother areas reflect incident sunlight toward the orbiting observer.

STS-61A, October-November 1985. Picture #61A-44-012

Right click here to download a high-resolution version of the image (8.87 MB)



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