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Lacey Young

NOAA satellite beams back a spectacular view of home

GOES-17 took its first full-disk snapshot of Earth on May 20, 2018.
GOES-17 took this stunning, full-disk snapshot of Earth's Western Hemisphere from its checkout position at 12:00 p.m. EDT on May 20, 2018.
NOAA/NASA

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On May 20, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's GOES-17 weather satellite captured its first full image of Earth. The satellites' Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) instrument provided the detailed view of Earth's Western Hemisphere from 22,300 miles above the equator.

The ABI instrument uses 16 distinct spectral bands, each of which detects specific colors, wavelengths of light, that the human eye can detect. By layering these bands the satellite provides full-color images, as well as specialized images like infrared, for scientists to study.

Click here to view the full-resolution image.