Tropical Cyclone Crystal (05S) northeast of Mauritius, Indian Ocean
Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC
Packing sustained winds of 80 miles (128 km) per hour, with gusts of up to 97 miles (157 km) per hour, Cyclone Crystal was approaching the island of Mauritius in the western Indian Ocean on December 26, 2002. Mauritius is situated roughly 900 km (550 miles) due east of Madagascar, off Africa’s southeastern shore.
These true-color images of Cyclone Crystal was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites. Over the course of a few days, the storm took on an increasingly ragged appearance.