The MODIS instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite collected this natural-color view of cloud streets over the ocean off of New England and the Canadian Maritimes on January 24, 2011.
Like a massive, ethereal bird gliding into the Persian Gulf, a large cluster of wave clouds spans the Arabian Sea from Oman to India. This cloud formation is likely an undular bore, which is created in the interaction between the cool, dry air in a low-pressure system with a stable layer of warm, moist air.
A temperature inversion most likely created this stunning view of low clouds hugging the contours of the Sichuan Basin in Central China in early December 2008.