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atmospherical riffle from Hurricane Helene spread far north of Florida as the devastating tempest made landfall , newNASAimages show .
The agency ’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment ( AWE ) captured concentric striation of atmospheric gravity moving ridge stretching across the Southeast as the hurricane progressed miles aside .
Gravity waves emitted by Hurricane Helene were seen rippling 55 miles over Earth
" Like ring of water overspread from a drop in a pond , circular waves from Helene are regard billowing westward from Florida ’s northwest coast , " AWE head teacher investigatorLudger Scherliess , a physicist at Utah State University , said in astatement .
Atmospheric gravity waves are vertical rippling that move through quiet area of the air , dividing the air into peak and troughs . According to NASA , these wave can be created by turgid thunderstorms , wind bursts , hurricanes , tornadoes and even tsunamis . ( They are dissimilar fromgravitational waves , which are ripples in the fabric of distance - prison term that result from violent cosmic events , such as shameful maw collision . )
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The AWE tool is jump on on theInternational Space Stationand detects these wave by measuring airglow — a faint light commit off by gasolene in the mesosphere , the third level ofEarth ’s atmosphere . The mesosphere drift from31 to 53 miles(50 to 85 kilometers ) above Earth ’s surface . Most weather occurs in the first level of Earth ’s atmosphere , the troposphere , though swarm tops can uprise into the second layer , the stratosphere , in very strong storm . ( These are called " overshoot swarm tops . " )
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AWE lead off follow in November 2023 , and the Helene gravity - wave simulacrum are among the first AWE images that NASA has loose publicly . One of the undertaking ’s goalsis to avail scientists realise how atmospheric condition on Earth ’s surface can affect space conditions , the disturbances in the upper air cause by fundamental interaction with bear down cosmic particles .
Hurricane Helene was a class 4 storm with wind up to 140 mph ( 225 kilometre / h ) when it made landfall near Perry , Florida . The violent storm later moved inland , stalling over eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina , where it make massive flooding . More than 230 people were killed , according to theAssociated Press .
