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The first photos taken by a new, revolutionary weather satellite orbiting Earth show our planet in a stark new light.。
The high resolution photos snapped by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) GOES-16 satellite show the Earth as seen in different wavelengths of light and also include a particularly stunning shot of the moon peeking out just above the cloudy planet. 。
SEE ALSO:New U.S. satellite will 'revolutionize' weather forecasting 。Although the image of the moon and Earth shining together is beautiful, it also serves a purpose. Scientists used the lunar body to calibrate the new spacecraft's camera. 。
The full sunlit side of the Earth.Credit: noaa 。The full sunlit side of the Earth.Credit: noaa 。
GOES-16 -- previously called GOES-R --is currently in an orbit about 22,300 miles from Earth. 。
"One of our GOES-16 scientists compared this to seeing a newborn baby’s first pictures — it’s that exciting for us,” Stephen Volz, director of NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service, said in a statement. 。
Thanks for signing up!。Dust can be seen off the coast of the African continent on the right side of this image.Credit: noaa 。
GOES-16 marks a major leap in technology for NOAA. 。
The satellite's high-resolution images should help scientists track lightning, volcanic ash, water vapor and other variables to better predict what weather is like around the United States. 。
The advanced satellites scans the planet five times faster than earlier GOES spacecraft, NOAA said, and it can also take a full photo of the continental United States every five minutes. 。The United States in multiple wavelengths of light revealing water vapor, smoke, ice and ash.Credit: NOAA 。
GOES-16 also has a mode that allows NOAA mission managers to take images every 30 seconds. 。 That may not sound like much, but it could be the "difference between life and death" during something like a tornado outbreak, Eric Webster, vice president and director of environmental systems at Harris Corp., told。Mashable。
Mashable 。
before the satellite's launch in November 2016. (Harris Corp. built the Advanced Baseline Imager, the main instrument on GOES-16.) 。
While GOES-16 the first of NOAA's advanced spacecraft for weather monitoring, it won't be the last. 。
GOES-17 is already in the testing phase, according to NOAA, and two more are planned in the satellite series. 。
Featured Video For You。2016 was Earth's warmest year on record, continuing a three-year streak 。