A dust storm swept northward out of Africa on August 15, 2005. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flying onboard the Aqua satellite took this picture the same day. Mimicking the coast of Morocco, the dust swept in an arc to the northwest then the northeast toward Spain. By the time the dust cloud reached the Mediterranean, it spread out over a wider area.
The dust storm may have originated in southwestern Morocco, or farther south. To the northeast of the dust, the Atlas Mountains appear, identifiable by their darker, more varied colors.
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center.
