NEWS SWISS CHEESE-LIKE GAS CLOUD HOLDS CLUES TO STARQUAKES Hi-res (124 K) Sodium Gas Cloud Experiment This image depicts the formation of multiple whirlpools in a sodium gas cloud. Scientists who cooled the cloud and made it spin created the whirlpools in a Massachusetts Institute of Technology laboratory, as part of NASA-funded research. This process is similar to a phenomenon called starquakes that appear as glitches in the rotation of pulsars in space. Last Updated: