VIIRS sensor on NOAA-21 now collecting new imagery

The Seen and Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the lately launched NOAA-21 satellite began accumulating Earth science knowledge from its day-night band (DNB) and its thermal emissive bands (TEB) on Feb. 9, 2023. This comes three months after the satellite launched from Vandenberg House Pressure Base on Nov. 10, 2022.

Thermal emissive band imaging knowledge has a number of necessary purposes: It permits for measurements of sea and land surface temperatures, wildfire depth, and the detection of clouds. This picture, captured on Feb. 9 and Feb. 10 exhibits chilly objects similar to clouds, snow and ice as blue, and heat surfaces similar to deserts in shades of pink.

VIIRS on NOAA-21 additionally began buying knowledge in its distinctive day-night band (DNB) on Feb. 9, 2023. Since its debut on VIIRS on the Suomi Nationwide Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) satellite greater than 10 years in the past, the DNB has revolutionized how we view the Earth from space at night time. The DNB is a novel VIIRS functionality that measures low indicators of mirrored mild illuminated by the moon at night time and is used for detecting nighttime clouds and fog. Illumination from artifical sources similar to metropolis lights, flaring from pure gasoline wells, and transport vessels will also be seen through the DNB.

The next picture was created by stitching collectively the orbit swaths collected from Feb. 9–10, 2023. Metropolis lights all around the world are clearly seen on this picture. Clouds which might be illuminated by the moon are seen in shades of white relying upon the opacity and thickness of the cloud cowl. Over Siberia, one can see the aurora borealis (northern lights) as a shiny streak. Observe that the south polar area is daytime this time of the yr and thus could be very shiny.