NOAA and NASA recently released the first ABI (Advanced Baseline Imager) imagery from GOES-18 (including this 2-min video). GOES-T was launched on March 1st. In fact, both GOES-16 and GOES-17 monitored the rocket signature. GOES-18 is the third in the GOES-R series and is currently located above approximately 90W. Soon GOES-18 will move to a “near West” position. GOES-18 is slated to become NOAA’s operational GOES-West in early 2023 after going through many tests. Before that, the ABI on GOES-18 will become the operational imager during two GOES-17 Loop Heat Pipe times. Also see this satellite liaison post.

Spectral Loop of 16 bands (from the Full Disk sector)

The above loop as an mp4 and animated gif. The ABI has 16 spectral bands, 2 in the visible, 4 in the near-infrared (or “near-visible”) and 10 in the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. There are also ABI band “fact sheets” in Spanish and French.

Another view of the 16 spectral bands of the ABI, both as an mp4 and animated gif. Or see this loop of the true color imagery during the day and an infrared window at night.

The “low-level” water vapor band (10) is very important. A loop showing 2 low’s over North America.

Of course the ABI Full Disk sectors also views over much of the disk, including of Hudson Bay with a day snow fog RGB (mp4) and South America (fog and suspended sediment).

ABI 16-Panel (CONUS region)

The ABI has 16 spectral bands, 2 in the visible, 4 in the near-infrared (or “near-visible”) and 10 in the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. GOES-18 image covering the contiguous United States collected by the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) in 16 spectral bands on May 5, 2022.  This 16-panel image shows the two visible, four near-infrared and 10 infrared channels on the ABI. The visible near-IR bands are gray-colored, while the infrared bands have the warmer brightness temperatures mapped to warmer colors. The different appearance of each band is due to how each band reflects or absorbs radiation. Each spectral band was scanned at approximately the same time, starting at approximately 18 UTC. The above mp4 loop and one of the frames.

Meso-scale sectors

The ABI scans two smaller meso-scale regions every 60 seconds, which provides 30-sec imagery if the regions overlap. These channels help forecasters and others distinguish phenomena such as clouds, water vapor, fires, smoke, dust, ice, land/sea surface temperatures and volcanic ash.

Recent meso-scale coverage from the GOES-18 ABI include: Texas, New Mexico and Minnesota (mp4 and animated gif). A similar loop, but just showing the ABI “red” visible band.

H/T

Thanks to the many (thousands) who made the GOES-18 ABI possible. These GOES-18 ABI are early images (preliminary and non-operational, calibration improvements are possible. Both McIDAS-X and geo2grid software was used in generating these images. More about GOES-16 and GOES-17.

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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.

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).

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1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16 (GOES-East) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm) images (above) include time-matched SPC Storm Reports — and showed some of the widespread severe weather that occurred across the Upper Midwest during the afternoon and early evening hours on 11 May 2022. Numerous pulsing overshooting tops were apparent in the vicinity of most storm reports

The corresponding 1-minute GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images are shown below.

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GOES-18 data in this post are preliminary and non-operational and beautiful. Because GOES-18 and GOES-16 nadir positions are separated by almost 15^o of longitude (89.5^o and 75.2^o, respectively), they can be used (when remapped to the same projection, in this case using a beta version of geo2grid that supports GOES-18 imagery) to create pseudo-stereoscopic imagery. That is, if you cross your eyes when looking at the imagery, and focus on the image that appears in the middle of the two other images, a three-dimensional image can be viewed (Note: Not all human brains can do this). The image above shows convection on 11 May 2022 over Nebraska between 1920 and 2350 UTC.

Thanks to Tim Schmit, NOAA/ASPB, for supplying me with these images!

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