From his perch on the International Space Station, astronaut Terry Virts has been taking some beautiful photos of Earth and space and sharing them on social media. Today, he shared his views of Super Typhoon Maysak, including this terrifying view looking straight down into the huge eye of the storm. “Looking down into the eye – by far the widest one I’ve seen,” he tweeted. “It seemed like a black hole from a Sci-Fi movie.”
See more of his images, below.
According to AccuWeather.com, Super Typhoon Maysak is one of the strongest cyclones in history during the months of January, February and March. It has slammed several Micronesian islands, killing 5 people, and is now on its way to the Philippines. As of early on April 1, Maysak had sustained winds of 240 kph (150 mph), equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane. Gusts as high as 390 kph (180 mph) are possible with this storm.
Looking down into the eye – by far the widest one I’ve seen. It seemed like a black hole from a Sci-Fi movie #Maysak pic.twitter.com/hmdBStaY6r
— Terry W. Virts (@AstroTerry) April 1, 2015
The eye of #Maysak typhoon really stands out early in the morning with the shadow being cast deep into the vortex pic.twitter.com/SodkijMt7O
— Terry W. Virts (@AstroTerry) April 1, 2015
More views of the eye- this was about 12 hours ago at sunrise, local time. Unbelievable. #Maysak pic.twitter.com/9Z6obnSVjh
— Terry W. Virts (@AstroTerry) April 1, 2015
The typhoon is expected to weaken, but still poses a threat to the islands in its path:
Since I gather “Black Holes” have actually (and truly) been seen, are they left or right handed? Which way do they spin and if they DO spin, Why do they?
While I’m at it, I’ve loved the heavenly expance since I was a kid. Still do. anywho, regarding Black Holes, I find an oxymoron in the theory (or is it a proven fact now?) which troubles me some. If, in fact, black holes slurp anything within range and nothing can get out, my quirie is: all the matter swallowed- does it go down a drain and wind up in a cosmic sewer/gutter? But if nothing can escape its suction, how is it that black-hole beacons exist? I’d really like o know.
Ponce,
Black holes have not been directly seen, but by the way they influence their environment their presence strongly supports our current theories. One way they make their presence know is by the high energy radiated by the dust and gas they are pulling in. As the particles accelerate and collide they heat to millions of degrees emitting X-rays in the process.
Another way they can make their presence known is how they influence other objects near them. Check out the link below for an article I did on the black hole at the center of our galaxy. Make sure to check out the attached videos. (Note that the dust cloud referenced in the article has passed by the black hole and is now thought to be a star with a dusty envelope around it, as it did not disperse as a dust cloud would have. – I need to do a follow up article on that!) http://om-blog.orbitalmaneuvers.com/2011/12/29/feeding-the-beast-at-center-of-the-milky-way/
And, black holes do come in spinning and non-spinning varieties, along with some very interesting properties for each.
Hope this helps!