A unique view of Earth's cloudscape

From our perspective on Earth, clouds can loom ominously from above. This unique perspective from the ISS shows the true scope of the ‘cloudscape’.

Snapped by an external camera attached to the International Space Station as it passed over the northwest Atlantic Ocean, the clouds were snapped at dawn.

Visible are two cumulus congestus clouds, also known as towering cumulus clouds, and several thunderstorms which have created a large anvil cloud. The flat tops are the result of each cloud reaching an inversion layer in the atmosphere.

Both of the towering cumulus clouds can be seen starting to spread wide at their highest points as they reach the inversion layer.

Also visible are the clouds shadows which, combined with the reflective sea surface, creates an illusion of a landscape.