In recent days, the typhoon Neoguri reached southern Japan, seriously affecting the prefecture of Okinawa. On July 6, the Japan Meteorological Agency warned the inhabitants of the Ryukyu Islands that Neoguri may be among the most powerful typhoons to ever hit the nation. Its size can be really seen only from above and the astronauts aboard the International Space Station have taken several photos of it.

In the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa emergency measures were activated with the evacuation of over 600,000 people. Yesterday the winds that hit the island reached a speed of about 220 km/h (about 130 mph), accompanied by heavy rain. The consequence is that more than 100,000 households were left without electricity and all other damages are to be assessed.

Slowly, the typhoon Neoguri is moving towards the north and is expected to reach Kyushu, one of the largest islands that make up the main part of Japan. According to the data, the winds are weakening and the nation is prepared for this type of events. Nevertheless, in the coming days the violent gusts and heavy rains could cause more damage.

The typhoon Neoguri is kept under observation by various satellites but several photographs were sent to Earth from the International Space Station as well. The German astronaut Alexander Gerst had some difficulty taking pictures because the typhoon was so big to fit into the fisheye lens that he was using.

The photos taken in recent days when the International Space Station passed over the Far East and directly above the typhoon Neoguri are impressive. They show a huge “eye” which has a diameter of about 65 km (about 40 miles) surrounded by the rest of the immense typhoon.

These photographs make us really understand what kind of monster a typhoon can be. They’re eerily spectacular images because they show us an extraordinary atmospheric phenomenon that contains an immense amount of energy and can be lethal.

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