English: Though the image may look like it comes from a science fiction movie, it is in fact a photograph of Very Intense Tropical Cyclone Bansi as seen at night by astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS). The image was taken when the ISS was east of Madagascar. The dim swirl of the cloud bands covers the ocean surface in the night image. The eye of the cyclone is brilliantly lit by lightning in or near the eye wall. The low-light settings of the camera used to take the image accentuate the contrast.
This is a retouched picture, which means that it has been digitally altered from its original version. Modifications: denoised. The original can be viewed here: Bansi 2015-01-12 210417Z.jpg: . Modifications made by
Bammesk.