First HD images of Alaska, Hawaii and Pacific from GOES-17

[NOAA] The GOES-17 satellite has taken another exciting step: On Tuesday, the satellite began transmitting its first high definition images of Alaska, Hawaii and the Pacific Ocean. The new images became available soon after GOES-17 completed its new orbital position at 137.2 degrees west longitude, where it will become the NOAA GOES operational satellite on December 10th.

With the GOES-17 coverage area now centered on the Pacific Ocean, for the first time we have high resolution geostationary satellite coverage of Alaska, Hawaii and much of the world. Pacific Ocean.

Launched on March 1 by NASA's Kennedy Space Center, GOES-17 is the second in a series of NOAA's next generation geostationary meteorological satellites. Like the GOES-16 satellite, operating as GOES East, the GOES-17 satellite is designed to provide advanced images and atmospheric measurements of the Earth at 22,300 miles overhead. ; equator.

[[[[This map shows the geographic coverage of the east and west GOES satellites. (NOAA)]

The ABES (Advanced Baseline Imager) system integrated into the GOES-17 system is identical to the GOES-16 system instrument. The GOES-17 ABI will provide the same visible and infrared high resolution images in GeoColor and 16 different channels, which will allow us to track and track cloud formation, atmospheric motion, convection, surface temperatures, fire and smoke, volcanic ash, pack ice, and more.

GOES-17 will greatly enhance our ability to predict the weather that it will do in the western United States, especially in Alaska and Hawaii. GOES-17, with its extended high latitude satellite coverage, will provide a much clearer view of the state of Alaska, where it will improve our ability to track environmental conditions, such as sea ice, volcanic ash , snow cover and forest fires. GOES-17 will also provide more and better data on the northeastern Pacific Ocean, where many weather systems affecting the continental United States are beginning.

Now that GOES-17 is broadcasting data from its permanent home at 137.2 degrees West, look for spectacular new satellite images from Last Frontier and Aloha State. Here are the first great pictures that GOES-17 shared with us this week:

The GOES-17 Advanced Basic Imager (ABI) on Tuesday captured this GeoColor view of high-altitude clouds moving over low clouds over the Hawaiian Islands. Convective clouds can be seen forming on the windward side of the mountain slopes of the islands.

This GOES-17 GeoColor image shows a zone of clouds dripping on a thick plume of brown smoke from the Woolsey fire in southern California from Tuesday.

This geo-color view of the Earth, seen for more than 22,000 km in space, was captured by the ABI GOES-17 at 16:00. HE on Tuesday.

This infrared imagery, from channel 13 of ABI-GOES-17, shows a wide low pressure zone in the Gulf of Alaska from Tuesday.

GOES-17 saw the snow-capped peaks of southern Alaska, on this Wednesday's image, at 4pm. AND, the visible red channel of the satellite (ABI Band 2).

This 16-panel image shows a snapshot of the northeastern Pacific Ocean and the western United States on Tuesday, observed from the 16 channels of the GOES- Advanced Advanced Imager. 17. Clouds and atmospheric moisture can be seen extending from the central Pacific to the west coast of the United States.

Published for WeatherNation by meteorologist Mace Michaels