Von Karman vortices. Coloured composite satellite image of clouds forming von Karman vortices, an effect that occurs when an object disturbs the flow of a fluid, leading to the creation of a chain of spiral eddies (a vortex street). In this case, the objects causing vortex streets to form are islands in the Kuril Islands chain between Russia and Japan. The effect occurs at all scales and it is important in aircraft design. This image was taken using infrared, near-infrared and visible wavelengths of light. Photographed by the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus sensor on the joint NASA/US Geological Survey satellite, Landsat 7.