The GOES satellites continuously observe the Earth’s surface and atmosphere by detecting electromagnetic radiation. These data are transmitted to Earth and used to create images that reveal conditions in the atmosphere.

The images that GOES generates show many types of phenomena, from thunderstorms forming over East Texas to a fireball streaking through the skies over New Mexico to the spread of wildfires across the southwest. They also reveal the effects of a changing climate.

GOES satellites circle the Earth in geosynchronous orbit, which means that they are positioned over the same spot on the planet at all times, like an airplane flying in the sky above you. This allows the sensors to stare at a specific area of the Earth all day and night, allowing meteorologists to constantly monitor the Earth’s surface and atmosphere.

A GOES satellite’s sensors collect two kinds of electromagnetic radiation. One type, called thermal infrared (IR), is emitted from the ground and the lower parts of clouds. The satellites’ instruments measure the amount of this IR radiation being emitted, enabling scientists to determine temperature and water vapor content at those levels. The longer wavelengths of thermal infrared radiation are absorbed by oxygen, carbon dioxide, ozone, and water vapor in the Earth’s atmosphere; only the shorter wavelengths pass through.

The other kind of radiation detected by GOES is radio waves, which are emitted from the Sun and its flares. Those waves are measured by GOES’s Solar and Heliospheric Imager (SXI), which alerts NOAA/SEC to any potentially hazardous solar activity that may affect spaceborne or ground-based assets, including power lines.

In addition to the SXI, all GOES satellites are equipped with the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and the Solar Wind Energy Sensor (SWES). ABI is a state-of-the-art 16-band radiometer that provides excellent spatial, temporal, and radiometric resolution for visible, near-infrared, and infrared imagery of the Earth at both surface and cloud levels. The ABI instrument has significantly improved spectral, spatial, and radiometric performance as compared to the older GOES series.

The CLASS system hosts NOAA GOES satellite and derived products, including images displayed in the GOES Image Viewer, on the Internet for anyone to access. However, the data and images hosted on CLASS webservers and in the GOES Image Viewer are NOT official NOAA operational products; they are examples of ongoing experimental product development.