Irish Lace

This is an image of the emerald isle as seen from space. NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image on December 17, 2007, utilizing its Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS).

On this day, clouds formed complex patterns around the islands, fringing the western tips of Ireland and southern tip of Great Britain.

Southwest of Ireland, the clouds exhibiting interesting-looking striations appear to be wave clouds formed by cool, dry air meeting warm, moist air. Pushed up by cool air, warm air rises, cools, and then falls, riding up on the next wave.