GOES ABI and Rocket Launches

December 21st, 2021 |

Recent rocket launches as seen by NOAA‘s GOES ABI. More on the multi-spectral ‘rocket plume’ RGB: quick guide and CIMSS Satellite Blog post. Or this post on seeing the Landsat launch.

December 21, 2021 from Kennedy Space Center

“Rocket plume RGB on December 21, 2021.

December 19, 2021 from Kennedy Space Center

Also from Cape Canaveral, but right on the edge of the meso-scale sector! (and as an animated gif).

“Rocket plume” RGB from December 19, 2021.

December 18, 2021 from Vandenberg Space Force Base

A view from GOES-17 (animated gif), note more striping due to increased instrument noise.

“Rocket plume RGB on December 18, 2021.

H/T

NOAA GOES-16 and -17 ABI data are via the University of Wisconsin-Madison SSEC Satellite Data Services. These images were made using the geo2grid software, developed at the UW/SSEC. More GOES-16 and -17 imagery and other information, including the SIFT software developed at UW/SSEC to quickly test RGB changes.

Posted in General interpretation, GOES-16, GOES-17, Rocket signatures | Comments Off on GOES ABI and Rocket Launches

Summer to Winter (NH) Solstice

December 21st, 2021 |

By animating daily NOAA GOES-16 ABI Full Disk true color imagery, how the Earth is illuminated over time can be seen. For example, the minimum in incoming solar radiation in the Northern Hemisphere associated with the Winter Solstice. For details, see “What is a Solstice?” by SciJinks. Or this NOAA https://www.noaa.gov/education/news/share-your-solstice-sunset-with-noaa-education post.

A 2021 solstice to solstice GOES-16 true color composite 11 UTC Full Disk animation.

11 UTC loops of 2021 (so far): durations of 9 and 18 seconds. Also as an animated gif. These posted GOES-16 Full Disk imagery are only showing a small number of the pixels, for a fuller resolution image at one time (20-June-2021).

Interactive web page

The interactive web page that allows one to annotate images, such as drawing lines. (Click on the image to go to the webapp.)
An annotated image, with text and a line. (Click on the image to go to the webapp.)

An interactive web page with almost a years worth of GOES ABI Full Disk visible images at 11 UTC. The beginning date is the (northern hemisphere) summer solstice in 2021 and the end date is the winter solstice in 2021. A user can play the animation, as well as annotate the images. For example, draw lines along the terminator for different times of the year. One example might be to compare a solstice to an equinox. Can you estimate the day of the summery equinox? H/T Tom Whittaker, SSEC, for the webapp. Note that the app allows one to save an mp4 animation.

Screen shot of the webapp where one can explore the effect of the angle of incidence on sun’s energy. (Click on the image to go to the webapp.)
Explore the changing seasons on Earth by relating the orbit, rotation and solar insolation with this webapp by T. Whittaker. (Click on the image to go to the webapp.)

H/T

These images were made using NOAA data with geo2grid, from UW-Madison, SSEC.

Posted in General interpretation, GOES-16, Red-Green-Blue (RGB) images | Comments Off on Summer to Winter (NH) Solstice