Uploaded November 2021 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
In Hurricane Ida, NOAA’s GOES-16 saw more than meets the eye—literally! Two NOAA experts discuss how the satellite’s advanced technology provided critical information about this devastating storm.
In Hurricane Ida, NOAA’s GOES-16 saw more than meets the eye—literally! Two NOAA experts discuss how the satellite’s advanced technology provided critical information about this devastating storm.
![Earth from Orbit: Mauna Loa Erupts for First Time Since 1984
On Nov. 28, 2022, the world’s largest active volcano began erupting for the first time since 1984. Mauna Loa, located on Hawaii’s Big Island, began spewing ash and debris from its summit around 11:30 p.m. local time after a series of earthquakes. Lava was ejected to heights of up to 148 feet on Nov. 29.
NOAA satellites monitored the ongoing eruption, lava flow, ash plume, and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions. GOES-17 (GOES West) provided one-minute imagery to help NOAA’sNational Weather Service Pacific Region monitor the evolution of the eruption and volcanic plumes in real-time. GOES-18, still undergoing post-launch testing, began collecting 30-second imagery of the eruption on Nov. 30. This rapid-update imagery allowed forecasters to observe the hottest areas of the lava field as well as the constant emission of ash and vapor.
Credits:
NOAA
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
CIRA
Additional imagery from CIMSS.
Mauna Loa eruption footage and historical lava flows map courtesy of USGS.
Music: “Wildflower” by Laurel Violet Lewis [PRS]; Chappell; Universal Production Music Earth from Orbit: Mauna Loa Erupts for First Time Since 1984](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hwC_uxsm_0o/mqdefault.jpg)
![California’s Oak Fire Near Yosemite Spreads Rapidly
The Oak Fire, burning near California’s Yosemite National Park, exploded in size the weekend of July 23–24, 2022 after igniting on Friday, July 22, and is now the largest fire in California so far this year. According to fire officials, the flames are moving extremely fast through the parched foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains fueled by a large amount of dried vegetation, a result of extended drought conditions.
The fire has currently consumed more than 18,800 acres and has destroyed 100 structures. So far, more than 6,000 residents have been evacuated. California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, declared a State of Emergency for Mariposa County on Saturday, and air quality advisories were issued in the Bay Area due to heavy smoke.
Learn more:
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/californias-oak-fire-near-yosemite-spreads-rapidly
Credits:
NOAA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
CIRA
Music:
“Perpetual Ocean,” by Bruce Haliday [PRS]; Freshworx; Universal Production Music California’s Oak Fire Near Yosemite Spreads Rapidly](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hybEzO7BlDc/mqdefault.jpg)

![GOES-19 Becomes GOES East
NOAA’s GOES-19 satellite, the latest and final satellite in NOAA’s GOES-R Series, officially began operations as GOES East today. This milestone comes after its June 25, 2024, launch and subsequent post-launch testing of its instruments, systems and data.
GOES-19 replaces GOES-16 as GOES East, positioned 22,236 miles above the equator at 75.2 degrees west longitude. GOES-16 will now become a backup for NOAA’s operational geostationary constellation, maintaining its operational readiness for future use, if needed.
Read more:
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/noaas-goes-19-now-operational-goes-east-providing-critical-new-data-forecasters
Video credits:
NOAA, NASA, the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA).
Music:
“A View From Above” by Jonathan Slott [ASCAP], John Hunter Jr. [ASCAP], and Brian Flores [ASCAP]; SEE; Universal Production Music GOES-19 Becomes GOES East](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iTHjpfd3du0/mqdefault.jpg)
![GOES-18 Goes West
NOAA’s newest weather satellite, GOES-18, is now sending back data from its new post-launch testing position at 136.8 degrees west longitude over the Pacific Ocean.
GOES-18, which launched on March 1, 2022, was initially delivered to 89.5 degrees west over the Central U.S. and began post-launch testing and calibration of its instruments and systems in that location. On May 16, GOES-18 began drifting west, arriving at 136.8 degrees west on June 6. Post-launch testing restarted on June 7.
From its new vantage point, GOES-18 can now see Alaska, Hawaii, and the Pacific Ocean all the way to New Zealand. It is ideally located to monitor the northeastern Pacific, where many of the weather systems affecting the continental United States originate, and to keep watch over the eastern Pacific hurricane basin. Once operational, the satellite will also provide critical data for forecasters, emergency managers, first responders, and the aviation industry on environmental hazards like turbulence, fires, smoke and dust, coastal fog, and volcanic eruptions.
Read more:
Credits:
NOAA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
CIRA
CIMSS
Music: “Follow,” by Anselm Kreuzer [GEMA] & Max van Thun [GEMA]; Berlin Production Music TV; Universal Production Music GOES-18 Goes West](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/i_Tyo-OWpMc/mqdefault.jpg)

![Kentucky and Missouri Devastated by Flash Flooding
Hundreds of miles apart, but connected by the same weather system, urban St. Louis and rural Appalachia have experienced devastating flash flooding.
At least 37 people have been confirmed dead in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday afternoon, and the death toll will continue to rise as the flood waters and debris recedes.
Gov. Beshear described widespread damage that displaced thousands of people, including power outages for thousands as well as washed-out roads, destroyed homes, and flooded schools. More than 600 people have been rescued by aircraft and boat since the flooding began, Beshear said.
President Joe Biden approved funding to support disaster relief efforts in Kentucky amid the deadly flooding. Biden declared a major disaster in Kentucky Friday morning and directed federal aid for recovery efforts in the state.
Credits:
NOAA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
CIRA
Music: “Mist in the Valley,” by Daniel Benjamin Weltlinger [APRA] & Zed Parker [APRA]; True Stories; Universal Production Music Kentucky and Missouri Devastated by Flash Flooding](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kF1aoyniMkA/mqdefault.jpg)
![GOES-U Arrives at Kennedy Space Center
On January 23, 2024, NOAA’s GOES-U satellite arrived in Florida for final preparations for its upcoming launch. GOES-U is the final satellite in the GOES-R Series.
Credits:
NOAA
NASA
CIRA
Additional GOES-U footage courtesy of Lockheed Martin.
Music: “The Worm” by Tom Sue [GEMA] and Zac Singer [GEMA]; Berlin Production Music; Universal Production Music GOES-U Arrives at Kennedy Space Center](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kw3XIPvDM9g/mqdefault.jpg)
![Earth from Orbit: Catching Bolides
On Jan. 1, 2022, just before 11:30 am local time, there were numerous citizen and media reports (as well as many emergency calls to 911) describing multiple sonic booms heard in southwestern Pennsylvania. The area was cloudy at the time, but the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) onboard the GOES East satellite detected the likely source of the sounds—a bolide, or large meteor exploding in the atmosphere. NWS Pittsburgh tweeted out a GLM image to explain the event, which was used in local, national, and international media coverage.
A nearby infrasound station registered the blast wave from the meteor as it broke apart, and the data enabled NASA to estimate the energy was similar to 30 tons of TNT. Additionally, they estimated the size to be about a yard in diameter, with a mass close to half a ton. Had it not been cloudy, the fireball would have been easily visible in the daylight sky—estimates indicate it was about 100 times the brightness of the full moon.
While designed for mapping lightning flashes, the GOES-R GLM can observe large meteors anywhere throughout its coverage area. The instrument takes 500 images of Earth every second, allowing it to measure the shape of a meteor’s light curve, or the change in brightness of a meteor with time, with millisecond precision. In order for GLM to detect these flashes, the bolides need to be as bright as the full moon. Due to this, the instrument is also able to pick up the signals of meteors in Earths atmosphere.
The loud “booms” with no visible source can cause a lot of anxiety, especially in populated areas. The National Weather Service (NWS) and broadcast meteorologists have begun using GLM data to quickly confirm the source and notify citizens to calm their fears.
Read more: https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/earth-orbit-catching-bolides
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Credits:
NOAA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
CIRA
Stock footage:
MountAiryFilms/Pond5
Music:
“Shooting Stars,” by Adam Dawson [PRS] & Adam Thomas Rustidge [PRS]; Ninja Tune Production Music; Universal Production Music Earth from Orbit: Catching Bolides](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l5XBVVnEosE/mqdefault.jpg)

![NOAA Shares Flashy First Imagery from GOES-18 Lightning Mapper
The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) instrument, onboard NOAA’s GOES-18 satellite, is now providing striking lightning observations of the Western Hemisphere. GOES-18 launched on March 1, 2022.
GLM detects and maps total lightning—in-cloud, cloud-to-cloud, and cloud-to-ground—continuously over the Americas and adjacent ocean regions. GLM offers insights beyond the presence of a lightning strike, revealing the extent of lightning flashes and the distance they travel.
Rapid increases in total lightning activity often precede severe and tornadic thunderstorms. Characterizing lightning activity in storms allows forecasters to identify intensifying storms before they produce damaging winds, hail or tornadoes. GLM data enable forecasters to detect electrically active storms, determine the extent of the lightning threat, identify strengthening and weakening storms, monitor storm evolution, and supplement radar data where coverage is poor.
Learn more:
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/noaa-shares-flashy-first-imagery-goes-18-lightning-mapper
Credits:
NOAA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
CIRA
Lockheed Martin
CISESS - UMD
Los Alamos National Laboratory
B-roll provided by Artbeats
Music:
“Is It A Sine,” by Frederick George Alan Prest [PRS]; Ninja Tune Production Music; Universal Production Music NOAA Shares Flashy First Imagery from GOES-18 Lightning Mapper](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lgvz4_qG7i8/mqdefault.jpg)