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Inside the Eye of a Hurricane (PHOTOS)

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Hurricane Rita
Photo from the International Space Station of Hurricane Rita's eye in the Gulf of Mexico during September 2005. Credit: Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center

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Hurricane Rita
Photo from the International Space Station of Hurricane Rita's eye in the Gulf of Mexico during September 2005. Credit: Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center

Some of the most dramatic weather changes on Earth can occur over a short distance near the eye of an intense hurricane.

Inside the eye, winds are mostly light. However, lurking a short distance away lies the surrounding eyewall, where the most intense and destructive winds of a hurricane are found.

(MORE: Hurricane Central)

Hurricane eyes appear in various sizes and shapes. They can also vary in how they appear during the life of a hurricane. A great example is Hurricane Wilma in 2005, which had a tiny eye that was just two nautical miles wide when it was a Category 5 hurricane in the northwest Caribbean.

According to the National Hurricane Center, that tiny eye was replaced by another eye around a day later that was 40 nautical miles wide. The eye remained 40 to 60 nautical miles wide for the rest of Wilma's existence.

Some hurricane eyes are clear enough that portions of the ocean surface may be visible from satellite images, while others are filled with clouds. A person on the ground in the middle of an eye could see blue skies during the day or stars at night if the eye is free of widespread clouds.Dr. Matt Sitkowski of The Weather Channel explains why the eye of a hurricane can appear so clear at times: "In the eye, air sinks and warms. This warming helps to lower the storm's pressure and will also make the atmosphere more dry. This drying causes the clouds to evaporate, making the eye visible from space."

Sitkowski adds, "Hurricane Rita's eye was amazing. At around 10,000 feet, air that had descended from higher in the atmosphere warmed to 88 degrees and the dew point was only 27 degrees, making for an extremely dry eye. There were very few clouds in the center of the eye, so it remains one of the best examples of the stadium effect."The stadium effect Sitkowski refers to is how the inside of a well-defined eye can appear to look like a bowl-shaped stadium. The towering clouds that make up the surrounding eyewall take on the role of stadium seating, while the lower, clearer portion near the center of the eye is the playing field. Although this can be seen from space, it's a particularly impressive sight for Hurricane Hunter aircraft flying inside the eye.Now that we've explained some background on hurricane eyes, click through our slideshow above to see some of the best hurricane eye images from various NOAA and NASA sources.

(MORE: Most Devastating Hurricanes)