
Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) images from GOES-17 (left), GOES-18 (center) and GOES-16 (right) [click to play animated GIF | MP4]
A 3-panel comparison of 1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) images from GOES-17
(GOES-West), GOES-18
(*preliminary, non-operational*) and GOES-16
(GOES-East) (above) showed the hot thermal anomaly (darker black to red pixels) of the
Calf Canyon Fire/
Hermits Peak Fire in northern New Mexico on
11 May 2022. The images are displayed in the native projection of each satellite.
Farther to the west, a similar comparison of Shortwave Infrared images from GOES-17 / GOES-18 / GOES-16 — with a different color enhancement applied — is shown for the Coastal Fire in Southern California.

Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) images from GOES-17 (left), GOES-18 (center) and GOES-16 (right) [click to play animated GIF | MP4]
The fire’s thermal signature began to rapidly diminish in GOES imagery by 03 UTC — but a distinct signature was still evident on a 375-meter resolution Suomi-NPP VIIRS Shortwave Infrared (3.74 µm) image at 0941 UTC
(below).

Suomi-NPP VIIRS Shortwave Infrared (3.74 µm) image at 0941 UTC [click to enlarge]