Since geostationary satellites rotate at the same rate as earth, they complete one orbit every twenty-four hours. Geostationary satellites are located at a much higher altitude than polar orbiting satellites, postiioned at 22,300 miles above the earth's surface. Under normal operating conditions, two GOES satellites observe the Eastern and Western United States, adjacent oceans and a large part of the Southern Hemisphere. Image data collected by all satellites are transmitted down to Earth where computers transform the data into the images that we see on the televison weather broadcast. A visible satellite image, taken only in daylight, shows sunlight reflecting off of clouds near the earth's surface.
Satellites use cameras to produce a visible image.
Since clouds are excellent reflectors of light, they appear white, while land masses and water of the oceans appear darker. Satellites broadcast the visible data to earth where a black and white photograph is constructed. Visible images show the daytime cloud cover on earth, and they assist with the mapping of ice within the shipping channels of the polar regions and the Great Lakes. Visible images also detect valuable data about Northern Hemisphere snow cover and monitor the conditions of vegetation. Polar orbiting satellites record the global data they collect and broadcast the data as they pass over one of the two receiving stations located in Alaska and Virginia.