Here's why:
* Size: Tornadoes are too small to be seen with the naked eye from orbit. Even the largest ones are only a few miles wide.
* Satellites focus on bigger picture: Satellites are designed to monitor large-scale weather patterns, like cloud formations and thunderstorms. Tornadoes are too localized for typical satellite imaging.
So how do satellites detect them?
* Infrared imagery: Satellites can detect the temperature differences in the atmosphere, which can indicate the presence of a thunderstorm that might produce a tornado.
* Doppler radar: While not strictly "from space," ground-based Doppler radar can detect the rotation within a thunderstorm that indicates tornado formation. This data can be relayed to satellites.
In conclusion: While you can't see tornadoes directly from space, scientists use satellite data and other technologies to indirectly monitor and predict their formation.
