Satellite Spots 300 Floating Objects

On Wednesday, Malaysia said it had received satellite images showing 122 potential objects floating in the ocean, not far from other satellite sightings that could be related to the missing passenger jet.

Adding to the list, a Thai satellite has spotted about 300 floating objects that could be linked to the missing plane in broadly the same region of the southern Indian Ocean, a Thai official said Thursday.

The Thai satellite captured the images on Monday, but it took several days to process them and pass them on to the Malaysian government, said Kampanart Deeudomchan, an official at Thailand's Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency.

Analysts have said the detection of possible objects is an encouraging sign, but so far nothing conclusively linked to the plane has been found.

"The type of wreckage or object that we're looking for is so close to the water line that now radars would not be able to pick it up," Norris of the HMAS Success told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "So we are very reliant on lookouts who use binoculars and night vision glasses to scan the horizon and scan the area around the ship while we conduct our search pattern."

The forecast from Friday morning through Saturday shows much improved conditions in the search zone, CNN's Javaheri said.

"Scattered clouds should be expected," he said. "But the winds and seas will both calm considerably, giving a rare a stretch of generally favorable conditions for this region during this time of year."