The EarthCARE satellite (Japanese name: Hakuryu) successfully passed directly over the eye of Typhoon Sinlaku on April 13, 2026, capturing unprecedented observations of the typhoon’s internal cloud structure. This rare overpass enabled detailed measurements of the vertical dynamics within the storm’s clouds.
The accompanying image shows a cloud distribution of Typhoon Sinlaku observed by EarthCARE’s Multi‑Spectral Imager (MSI). The red line indicates the flight path of EarthCARE, and the orange line shows the swath of MSI observation. The color scale represents cloud optical thickness estimated from MSI data. The background image is an RGB composite from Himawari‑9.
Image Credit: JAXA
