Copernicus Sentinel-3 Captures Eerie Eye of Super Typhoon Champi

Copernicus Sentinel-3 has captured a false-colour image of Super Typhoon Champi off the coasts of Taiwan and the Philippines on 21 October 2026. The imagery highlights the storm's distinct approximately 50 km wide eye with Halloween-themed visual aesthetics. According to reported data, Champi is noted as the strongest tropical cyclone recorded so far in 2026, featuring maximum sustained winds reaching 296 km per hour.

Technical Details and Sensor Measurements

The observation was conducted using the Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer instrument aboard the Sentinel-3 satellite.

• Instrument Function: Measures radiance in thermal infrared wavelengths to infer brightness temperature.
• Color Mapping:
• Green, White, Light Grey: Represent cold central clouds with temperatures dropping to -70 °C.
• Purple: Indicates clouds with temperatures ranging from -30 °C to -15 °C.
• Orange: Denotes warmer ocean and land surfaces averaging approximately 25 °C.

Impacts and Observations

The captured false-colour representation illustrates the interaction between cold clouds moving over a warm ocean surface. Reported impacts from the powerful storm system include serious flooding and damage across eastern Taiwan, alongside waves reaching up to 10 metres near the center of the storm.

Verification and Licensing

The featured visual contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data from 2026, processed by the European Space Agency (ESA). Observers can verify official announcements and licensing details directly through the ESA multimedia portal under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO or ESA Standard Licence terms.