image: This is an infrared image of Tropical Storm Chris in the western Atlantic, from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite on Aug. 3, 2006. This AIRS image shows the temperature of the cloud tops or the surface of the Earth in cloud-free regions. The lowest temperatures (in purple) are associated with high, cold cloud tops that make up the top of Chris. The infrared signal does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds the AIRS instrument reads the infrared signal from the surface of the Earth, revealing warmer temperatures (red). The infrared image indicates clouds from former eye wall have collapsed into the central spot of convection, and highest cloud tops bracket Puerto Rico. view more
Credit: NASA/JPL