UFOs Near Jeju

A series of spiraling clouds extends southeast from an oval-shaped island in the Korea Strait. To the west, a large sediment plume fans out from the coast of China and forms tan, teal, and blue swirls in the water.

The MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of swirling clouds—and colorful, turbulent water—near Jeju Island on February 19, 2026. The island rises about 1,950 meters (6,400 feet) above the sea surface.

The trailing, staggered spirals, called von Kármán vortex streets, form when a fluid passes a tall, isolated, stationary object. If winds are too weak, clouds simply flow smoothly past, and if winds are too strong, vortices cannot maintain their shape.