Hurricane Florence size is 'chilling, even from space,' astronaut writes

Hurricane Florence is so big that it can only be captured with a super wide-angle lens from space, one astronaut said.

As he posted the awe-inspiring shots, Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency wrote that staring down "the gaping eye of a category 4 hurricane" is "chilling, even from space."

Gerst isn't the only one sharing compelling images of the monster storm. NOAA posted GIFs from the GOES East satellite, including a lightning map of several systems over the Atlantic.

Hurricane Florence is expected to make landfall in the Southeast later this week.