GOES 16: Moon over Planet Earth
Explanation:
Launched last November 19 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station,
the satellite now known as
GOES-16 can now
observe planet Earth from a
geostationary orbit
22,300 miles above the equator.
Its Advanced Baseline Imager captured this contrasting view of Earth and
a gibbous Moon on January 15.
The stark and airless Moon is not really the focus of GOES-16, though.
Capable of providing a high resolution full disk image of Earth
every 15 minutes in 16 spectral channels,
the new generation satellite's instrumentation is geared to
provide sharper, more detailed
views
of Earth's dynamic weather systems
and enable more accurate weather forecasting.
Like previous GOES weather satellites, GOES-16 will use the moon
over our fair planet as a calibration target.
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Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
