New generation weather satellite captures incredibly detailed photos of Earth
Miscellaneous / / May 05, 2023
It shows cloud swirls over the Canary Islands and deposits in the water along the coast of Italy.
Newest European meteorological satellite Meteosat Third Generation Imager (MTG-I1) did his first image of the Earth, which shows the European and African continents in previously unattainable detail.
The photo was taken on March 18, 2023. It shows most of Europe, which is covered in thick clouds but with relatively clear skies over Italy and the Balkans, as well as all of Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. You can even make out cloud swirls over the Canary Islands, snow cover in the Alps, and deposits in the water along the coast of Italy.
This level of image detail from geostationary orbit has so far been unattainable in Europe. Now we can better understand our planet and the weather systems that shape it.
Simonetta Celi
Director of the Earth Observation Center at the European Space Agency (ESA)
In the video below, the MTG-I1 satellite showed how 24 hours pass over Europe as viewed from space.
The MTG-I1 satellite is also capable of showing a higher level of detail in cloud structures at high latitudes. This will allow meteorologists to better monitor and more accurately predict severe climate events, including natural disasters.
MTG-I1 became the first third-generation weather satellite to be launched into orbit. It has two new high-sensitivity instruments, the Flexible Combined Imager and the Lightning Imager. It was launched on December 13, 2022 using an Ariane 5 launch vehicle. The device is now going through a 12-month commissioning phase.
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