Strong winds, massive waves, and flashing thunder make a storm an overwhelming experience on Earth. But from the vantage of space, that same storm can turn into a mesmerizing show of nature’s power. That’s exactly what happened in 2015 when the Expedition 42 crew aboard the International Space Station captured a cyclone near Madagascar. From their safe distance, they witnessed the eye of the storm glowing with flashes of lightning—a sight as stunning as it was intense.
Representative Image Source: Super Typhoon, tropical storm, cyclone, hurricane, tornado, over ocean. Weather background. Elements of this image furnished by NASA. (Getty Images)
Using a Nikon D4 digital camera with a 28-millimeter lens, the astronauts photographed this “electric eye” of tropical cyclone Bansi, as detailed by NASA Earth Observatory. The cyclone initially formed over the southwestern Indian Ocean on January 11, 2015, and unleashed its fury for eight days as it tracked from Madagascar across the Indian Ocean, briefly affecting Mauritius, before veering back toward the French island of Réunion. When these images were taken, Bansi was at its peak intensity, with sustained winds raging at 115 miles per hour, according to Live Science.
Eventually, by January 19, the cyclone reached its Category 4 strength, which, according to the National Hurricane Center, means that the maximum sustained winds were moving at about 157 miles per hour or higher, resulting in catastrophic damage. But on January 13, a day after the photos were taken, the eye of the storm was around 12 miles away, as per Live Science. According to NOAA, an eye of the cyclone usually appears when the maximum sustained wind speeds go above 74 miles per hour.
A cyclone's structure normally consists of three parts, namely the rainbands, the eyewall, and the eye. The cause of the formation of the eye is not evident but is probably linked to a combination of angular momentum and centrifugal force. People seeing the eye of the cyclone at night usually witness stars or birds or ships trapped in the swirl of water. In both photographs, a dim vortex of clouds appears to cover the surface of the ocean while the eye of the cyclone stands out, brilliantly lit by lighting. NASA explained that the astronauts used the camera’s low-light settings to accentuate the contrast between the dim and the glowing portions.
Image Source: NASA Earth Observatory | ISS042-E-135015
In the cyclone Bansi's second image, a soft golden-yellow-green glow also appears at the rim of the Earth. This is a natural phenomenon called “airglow,” which Live Science describes as an aurora-like phenomenon that occurs when gases such as oxygen and nitrogen are excited by charged particles and ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Airglow is most commonly observed around the solar maximum, the most active phase in the Sun’s 11-year solar cycle. Just before Bansi's formation, a solar maximum had peaked sometime in 2014, which explains the airglow accompanying the cyclone. Apart from the airglow, the photographs show smatterings of sparkly stars as well as the solar panels of a Russian spacecraft.
Image Source: NASA Earth Observatory | ISS042-E-135030
The photographs called “ISS042-E-135015” and “ISS042-E-135030” respectively, were released by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Johnson Space Center, after basic editing, cropping, and enhancing to accentuate contrast.
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Representative Image Source: Painting from a series by Ernest Untermann in the museum at Dinosaur National Monument, Utah.
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President Donald J. Trump and photo of a forest.
Public united and adamantly opposes Trump’s plan to roll back the Roadless Rule
There doesn't seem to be much agreement happening in the U.S. right now. Differing moral belief systems, economic disparity, and political divide have made a country with so many positives sometimes feel a little lost. Everyone desperately seeks a niche, a connection, or a strong sense of community to which they can feel a "part of," rather than just "apart."
But there seems to be one thing that the country strongly unites over, and that's the "Roadless Rule." With the Trump Administration attempting to roll back conservation policies that protect U.S. National Forests, Americans are saying in harmony an emphatic "No." A nonpartisan conservation and advocacy organization, the Center for Western Priorities, reviewed a comment analysis on the subject. After receiving 223,862 submissions, a staggering 99 percent are opposed to the president's plan of repeal.
What is the 'Roadless Rule' policy implemented in 2001?
The Roadless Rule has a direct impact on nearly 60 million acres of national forests and grasslands. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rule prohibits road construction and timber harvests. Enacted in 2001, it is a conservation rule that protects some of the least developed portions of our forests. It's considered to be one of the most important conservation wins in U.S. history.
America's national forests and grasslands are diverse ecosystems, timeless landscapes, and living treasures. They sustain the country with clean water and the wood products necessary to build our communities. The National Parks protected under their umbrella offer incredible recreational retreats and outdoor adventure.
Why does the administration want to roll it back?
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins told the Department of Agriculture in a 2025 press release, “We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands. Today marks a critical step forward in President Trump’s commitment to restoring local decision-making to federal land managers to empower them to do what’s necessary to protect America’s forests and communities from devastating destruction from fires." Rollins continued, “This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America. It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come. We look forward to hearing directly from the people and communities we serve as we work together to implement productive and commonsense policy for forest land management.”
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz explained the Roadless Rule frustrated land management and acts as a challenging barrier to action. It prohibits road construction needed to navigate wildfire suppression and properly maintain the forest. Schultz said, “The forests we know today are not the same as the forests of 2001. They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, mortality, insect-borne disease, and wildfire. It’s time to return land management decisions where they belong – with local Forest Service experts who best understand their forests and communities."
Why are people adamantly opposed to the proposed rollback?
A 2025 article in Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, expressed its concern over the protection of national forests covering 36 states and Puerto Rico. A rescinded rule allows increased logging, extractive development, and oil and gas drilling in previously undisturbed backcountry. Here is what some community leaders had to say about it:
President Gloria Burns, Ketchikan Indian Community, said, "You cannot separate us from the land. We depend on Congress to update the outdated and predatory, antiquated laws that allow other countries and outside sources to extract our resource wealth. This is an attack on Tribes and our people who depend on the land to eat. The federal government must act and provide us the safeguards we need or leave our home roadless. We are not willing to risk the destruction of our homelands when no effort has been made to ensure our future is the one our ancestors envisioned for us. Without our lungs (the Tongass) we cannot breathe life into our future generations.”
Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, stated, "Roadbuilding damaged salmon streams in the past — with 240 miles of salmon habitat still blocked by failed road culverts. The Roadless Rule protects our fishing economy and more than 10,000 jobs provided by commercial fishing in Southeast Alaska.”
The Sierra Club's Forest Campaign Manager Alex Craven seemed quite upset, saying, "The Forest Service followed sound science, economic common sense, and overwhelming public support when they adopted such an important and visionary policy more than 20 years ago. Donald Trump is making it crystal clear he is willing to pollute our clean air and drinking water, destroy prized habitat for species, and even increase the risk of devastating wildfires, if it means padding the bottom lines of timber and mining companies.”
The 2025 recession proposal would apply to nearly 45 million acres of the national forests. With so many people writing in opposition to the consensus, the public has determined they don't want it to happen.
Tongass National Forest is at the center of the Trump administration's intention to roll back the 2001 Roadless Rule. You can watch an Alaska Nature Documentary about the wild salmon of Tongass National Forrest here:
- YouTube www.youtube.com
The simple truth is we elect our public officials to make decisions. The hope is they do this for all of our well-being, although often it seems they do not. Even though we don't have much power to control what government officials do, voicing our opinions strongly enough often forces them to alter their present course of action. With a unanimous public voice saying, "No!" maybe this time they will course correct as the public wishes.