Landsat 8 captures von Karman clouds near Peter I Island
Landsat 8 satellite just captured some eye-catching spiral cloud patterns, called von Karman vortex streets, swirling near Peter I Island in the Bellingshausen Sea.
These rare formations pop up when steady winds hit an obstacle (like a remote island) and start spinning into eddies.
The satellite caught this cool sight not just once, but on back-to-back days during the 2026 southern summer.
Peter I Island remote volcanic island
Peter I Island is a super isolated volcanic island about 400km off West Antarctica. It rises more than 1,600 meters above the sea and is surrounded by harsh ice, so hardly anyone ever visits.
Because it interrupts powerful ocean winds, it's perfect for creating these wild cloud spirals, and also makes scientists curious about its untouched geology and frozen history.