Amazing images of a typhoon heading for the Philippines have been snapped from orbit by two astronauts . Typhoon Maysak was initially a top-rated category 5 typhoon , causing troops in the Philippines to be put on alert today . And residents and toursists along the eastern coast have been warned that it will hit land some time in the next 72 hours . This image taken Tuesday 31 March 31 shows Typhoon Maysak taken by astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti from the International Space Station . The Pacific Daily News newspaper in Guam reports the storm was upgraded Tuesday to a super typhoon with winds of 150mph . As it moved over the Pacific Ocean , the storm generated winds of more than 140mph ( 225km/h ) . It is expected to weaken once it hits the central or northern parts of the main Philippine island of Luzon on Saturday or Sunday . 'Commands respect even from # space : we just flew over typhoon # Maysak , ' Esa astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti said in a tweet . And fellow astronaut Terry Virts , of Nasa , said : 'Looking down into the eye - by far the widest one I 've seen . It seemed like a black hole from a Sci-Fi movie # Maysak . ' Accuweather.com reported that the storn was one of the strongest cyclones in history during the months of January , February and March . Although it is expected to weaken slightly , it will still pose a significant threat to islands in its past . It first developed into a tropical storm last Friday , and now the full power of a super typhoon can be seen in the images . The steep walls of cloud drop into the eye of the storm , and more than 10 inches ( 250mm ) of rain have been reported under the storm . Nasa astronaut Terry Virts captured the eye of typhoon Maysak early in the morning with the shadow being cast deep into the vortex . The storm was moving west-northwest at 15mph . The eyewall of Super Typhoon Maysak is seen as it heads west-northwestward through the western Pacific Ocean , northwest of Yap Island , in this infrared image taken by the Suomi NPP satellite 's VIIRS instrument 1 April 2015 . The storm has maintained its 15 nautical mile diameter eye , but is weakening slightly as dry air encroaches from the southern periphery , according to Noaa . This map from Accuweather shows the path of super typhoon Maysak over the next few days . This image was taken yesterday by astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti from the International Space Station . Officials say super Typhoon Maysak is expected to significantly weaken before reaching the Philippines around Sunday . 'The eye of # Maysak typhoon really stands out early in the morning with the shadow being cast deep into the vortex , ' said Terry Virts . 'This is very strong and it will maintain its strength as it nears , although we expect that the typhoon will weaken , ' Esperanza Cayanan , an officer at the weather bureau , said in a televised briefing . 'But this will still be typhoon intensity so it will bring strong winds when it makes landfall on the eastern coast . British-based Tropical Storm Risk said Maysak would likely weaken to a category 2 typhoon , with maximum winds of up to 110mph ( 175km/h ) , when it hits land . The typhoon could damage rice and corn crops in central and northern areas of the Philippines , although damage is likely to be minimal because the major harvest of the national staple rice was finished around February . Super Typhoon Maysak is seen tracking west-northwestward through the western Pacific Ocean , northwest of Yap Island in this image taken by the Suomi NPP satellite 's VIIRS instrument around 04:25GMT ( 00:25 ET ) 1 April . 'Commands respect even from # space : we just flew over typhoon # Maysak , ' Esa astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti said in a tweet . Alexander Pama , executive director of the national disaster agency , said the biggest challenge for authorities would be keeping foreign and Filipino tourists travelling to northern provinces for the weekend safe when Maysak makes landfall . Thousands of Filipinos have already begun travelling to the provinces and popular tourist spots before the Easter weekend . Maysak is not expected to make landfall where another category 5 typhoon , Haiyan , struck more than a year ago , leaving nearly 8000 dead or missing . The storm is expected to dissipate shortly after it leaves the Philippines .
Italian Esa astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and Philippines astronaut Terry Virts have snapped images of a typhoon . They took them from the ISS while orbiting Earth at a height of 255 miles ( 410km ) Super typhoon Maysak was a top-rated category 5 typhoon , and will make landfall in the US this weekend . As it moved over the Pacific Ocean , the storm generated winds of more than 140mph ( 225km/h )