Super Typhoon Maysak's maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour are churning the waters of the Western Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, lashing the tiny island of Yap, with a population of only 11,000, with strong winds and heavy rain.

Yet from far above, the storm looks other-wordly, like something that might fit better on Jupiter rather than our home planet.

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Astronauts aboard the International Space Station overflew the typhoon's massive circulation on Tuesday, with Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti snapping this breathtaking shot of the storm as it buffeted the tiny island of Yap. She also captured several close-up images of the storm's eye, which is surrounded by the storm's fiercest winds and heaviest rains.

Super Typhoon Maysak has already set records by achieving its high intensity, marking the first time there have been two major typhoons of Category 3 or above before April 1.

The typhoon is the third of the year so far in the Western Pacific, which sets a record for the most typhoons so early in the Western Pacific typhoon season. Typically, the most active period in this ocean basin is from May through October.

Astronaut Terry Virts also took some fascinating close-up shots of the storm's massive eye.

The eye of #Maysak typhoon really stands out early in the morning with the shadow being cast deep into the vortex pic.twitter.com/SodkijMt7O — Terry W. Virts (@AstroTerry) April 1, 2015

Forecasts call for the Super Typhoon to weaken as it encounters cooler ocean waters and a more hostile atmospheric environment before it nears the northern Philippines on April 4. Depending on its exact track and intensity, Super Typhoon Maysak may present a significant flooding threat, even if its winds were to die down by then.

Commands respect even from #space: we just flew over typhoon #Maysak. pic.twitter.com/w86GnxmaO2 — Sam Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) March 31, 2015

Here's another view of the storm from space, this time via satellite, as it moves to the northwest, sustained by unusually mild ocean waters. The island to the south of the storm's clear, calm eye is Yap, which is part of the Federated States of Micronesia.

Unusually mild ocean temperatures associated with a burgeoning El Niño event are a key factor in triggering the early start to the Western Pacific typhoon season. Water temperatures in the areas that typically give rise to menacing Western Pacific typhoons are up to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above average for this time of year.

Global warming may also be playing some part in driving up ocean temperatures in this region, although it may not be the dominant factor.

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 pic.twitter.com/hmdBStaY6r — Terry W. Virts (@AstroTerry) April 1, 2015

With no signs that these ocean conditions will change appreciably anytime soon, it's becoming clear that this may be another destructive storm season in this disaster-prone region. After all, it was only two years ago that Super Typhoon Haiyan was born in the Western Pacific and ravaged the Philippines.

More views of the eye- this was about 12 hours ago at sunrise, local time. Unbelievable. #Maysak pic.twitter.com/9Z6obnSVjh — Terry W. Virts (@AstroTerry) April 1, 2015

Another factor assisting storm development during the early part of the season in this region is a historically intense Madden-Julian Oscillation event that occurred in mid-March.

If you ever wanted to see a perfect wavenumber 1 MJO phase 7 event, this is about as high-amplitude as it gets: pic.twitter.com/b5YvHlevKL — Levi Cowan (@TropicalTidbits) March 16, 2015

The Madden-Julian Oscillation, or MJO, helped generate storms just north of the equator and near the International Dateline, in part by generating what meteorologists call a "westerly wind burst" that pulsed from west-to-east like a line of dominoes, eventually crossing into the Central Pacific Ocean.

These winds, which were the opposite of the typical trade winds in this area, helped generate atmospheric spin, while other aspects of the MJO encouraged rising air motion that helps generate thunderstorm activity.