This very large thunderstorm was photographed from Space Shuttle Atlantis east of the insland of Madagascar. The massive system occupies nearly the whole frame. The storm is approximately 65 nautical miles per side and displays an overshooting cloud top on its west side. NASA scientists studying the STS-44 photography identify overshooting clouds as these that result from strong updrafts rising from the troposphere, from which most of the earths weather takes place. The top reaches into the stratosphere at 45,000 to 50,000 feet (13,800 - 15,300 meters) and casts strong shadows in the low sun.
Space shuttle earth observations photography (SSEOP) (Sea-Ops)