Prepare to be enthralled: a Japanese satellite has captured twin typhoons—that’s Goni on the left, Atsani on the right—swirling simultaneously for the first time since October, 1997.
The stunning images come courtesy of Japan’s new weather satellite, the Himawari-8, currently coasting about 22,000 miles above the Pacific. The video is able to capture the typhoon’s movement especially well because the Himawari-8 is snapping photos every ten minutes. U.S. weather satellites take shots every three hours, and at half the resolution.
The twin typhoons are a weather oddity—it’s the first time in about 18 years that twin typhoons have been observed. Incidentally, 1997 is known for hosting a particularly strong El Niño (we’re in the middle of another El Niño now), which tends to lead to typhoons in the central Pacific, according to Eric Holthaus, a meteorologist who writes for Slate. The stronger storms lead to stronger El Niño effects, leading to “a feedback loop of sorts,” Holthaus writes.
Goni might make landfall near the Philippines, Taiwan, or Japan over the next week or so. Atsani is so far not expected to affect any country.
See the Astronomical League's Most Beautiful Photos from 2014
![Rosette nebula, NGC 2237, taken from Waukesha, Wisc., on Jan. 6, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-rosette-nebula-dennis-roscoe.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![The Elephant's Trunk Nebula, also known as IC 1396, on April 14, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-elephant-trunk-nebula-eric-coles.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![The Pleiades, also known as M45 or the Seven Sisters, imaged from Fayetteville, Ark., on Jan. 25, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-pleiades-joel-tonyan.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Andromeda Galaxy (M31), imaged from Fayetteville, Ark., on Jan. 19, 2014,](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-andromeda-galaxy-joel-tonyan.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![A time lapse showing star trails above Big Lagoon State Park in Pensacola, Fla., on March 30, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-star-trails-big-lagoon-state-park-kenny-alexander.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Eta Aquarid meteors above Bryce Canyon in Utah, in May 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-bryce-canyon-david-lane.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![The Orion Nebula, taken from Waukesha, Wisc., on Feb. 7, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-orion-nebula-dennis-roscoe.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![IC 2162 -- a star-forming nebula in Gemini
January, 2014 A star-forming nebula in Gemini, in January 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-gemini-brian-peterson.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Propeller Nebula in Cygnus, also known as DWB111, on May 1, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-propeller-nebula-eric-coles.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![The Milky Way, taken from Pensacola Beach in Pensacola, Fla., on March 2, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-pensacola-beach-kenny-alexander.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Milky Way Aircraft An aircraft turns over the night sky with the Milky Way in the background above Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., on Jan. 5, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-jet-matt-jylha-1.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Pelican Nebula, taken from Waukesha, Wisc., on Jan. 9, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-pelican-nebula-dennis-roscoe.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![The Horsehead nebula, also known as Barnard 33 in emission nebula IC 434, taken at Seneca and Oswego in Illinois, Feb.-March 2014](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-horsehead-nebula-martin-hrdlicka.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![A panorama of the Milky Way taken from Fall Creek Falls State Park during the Eta Aquarid meteor shower on May 4, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-milky-way-matt-harbison.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Ngc 2237 - Rosette nebula taken at Seneca Illinois on march 2014 The Rosette nebula, also known as NGC 2237 or Caldwell 49, taken from Seneca, Ill., in March 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-rosette-nebula-martin-hrdlicka.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![The Pinwheel Galaxy, also known as Messier 101, M101 or NGC 5457, taken at the Winter Star Party in the Florida Keys on March 1, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-m102-richard-s-wright-jr.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![The Milky Way with Venus rising at Pensacola Beach in Pensacola, Fla., on March 2, 2014.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-milky-way-pensacola-beach-kenny-alexander.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
![Waxing Moon Waxing Moon over Winter Garden, Fla., on Feb. 10, 2014](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/astronomical-photography-waxing-moon-matt-jylha.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Biden Dropped Out
- Ukraine’s Plan to Survive Trump
- The Rise of a New Kind of Parenting Guru
- The Chaos and Commotion of the RNC in Photos
- Why We All Have a Stake in Twisters’ Success
- 8 Eating Habits That Actually Improve Your Sleep
- Welcome to the Noah Lyles Olympics
- Get Our Paris Olympics Newsletter in Your Inbox
Write to Tanya Basu at tanya.basu@time.com