The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hasn't yet decided where it's going to place its newest weather satellite, but one thing is clear: GOES-16 (previously known as GOES-R) <a href="https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/content/goes-16-image-gallery">has a stunning view of Earth</a>. High-resolution pictures taken by the satellite's Advanced Baseline Imager instrument show the view from 22,300 miles above the equator, including a composite color, full-disk image of the western hemisphere taken on Jan. 15. The ABI , which can take a full disk image of Earth every 15 minutes and a picture of the continental United States every five minutes, is among the technological upgrades in GOES-16, the first of NOAA's next-generation weather satellites. "The image is much more than a pretty picture, it is the future of weather observations and forecasting," National Service Weather director Louis Uccellini said in a statement. <a href="http://www.seeker.com/tracking-hurricane-matthew-big-data-models-drones-extreme-weather-2034590892.html">RELATED: Tracking Hurricane Matthew by Drone, Satellite and Big Data</a> "High resolution imagery from GOES-16 will provide sharper and more detailed views of hazardous weather systems and reveal features that previous instruments might have missed ... As a result, forecasters can issue more accurate, timely, and reliable watches and warnings, and provide better information to emergency managers and other decision makers." The full-disk image of Earth's western hemisphere is among 25 images released on Monday, including a 16-panel series showing the United States in two optical, four near-infrared and 10 infrared wavelengths. A personal favorite: this view, taken for calibration purposes, of the moon seemingly pinned in its orbit around Earth: GOES-R, which was renamed GOES-16 when it reached orbit, was launched on Nov. 19 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NOAA will announce in May whether the new bird will be positioned in an eastern or western location. It is expected to become operational in November. The next satellite in the series, GOES-S, is slated to fly in 2018. WATCH VIDEO: Climate Change Is Happening Faster Than You Think

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hasn't yet decided where it's going to place its newest weather satellite, but one thing is clear: GOES-16 (previously known as GOES-R) <a href="https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/content/goes-16-image-gallery">has a stunning view of Earth</a>.

High-resolution pictures taken by the satellite's Advanced Baseline Imager instrument show the view from 22,300 miles above the equator, including a composite color, full-disk image of the western hemisphere taken on Jan. 15.

The ABI , which can take a full disk image of Earth every 15 minutes and a picture of the continental United States every five minutes, is among the technological upgrades in GOES-16, the first of NOAA's next-generation weather satellites.

"The image is much more than a pretty picture, it is the future of weather observations and forecasting," National Service Weather director Louis Uccellini said in a statement.

<a href="http://www.seeker.com/tracking-hurricane-matthew-big-data-models-drones-extreme-weather-2034590892.html">RELATED: Tracking Hurricane Matthew by Drone, Satellite and Big Data</a>

"High resolution imagery from GOES-16 will provide sharper and more detailed views of hazardous weather systems and reveal features that previous instruments might have missed ... As a result, forecasters can issue more accurate, timely, and reliable watches and warnings, and provide better information to emergency managers and other decision makers."

The full-disk image of Earth's western hemisphere is among 25 images released on Monday, including a 16-panel series showing the United States in two optical, four near-infrared and 10 infrared wavelengths. A personal favorite: this view, taken for calibration purposes, of the moon seemingly pinned in its orbit around Earth:

GOES-R, which was renamed GOES-16 when it reached orbit, was launched on Nov. 19 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NOAA will announce in May whether the new bird will be positioned in an eastern or western location. It is expected to become operational in November.

The next satellite in the series, GOES-S, is slated to fly in 2018.

WATCH VIDEO: Climate Change Is Happening Faster Than You Think

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hasn't yet decided where it's going to place its newest weather satellite, but one thing is clear: GOES-16 (previously known as GOES-R) <a href="https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/content/goes-16-image-gallery">has a stunning view of Earth</a>.High-resolution pictures taken by the satellite's Advanced Baseline Imager instrument show the view from 22,300 miles above the equator, including a composite color, full-disk image of the western hemisphere taken on Jan. 15.The ABI , which can take a full disk image of Earth every 15 minutes and a picture of the continental United States every five minutes, is among the technological upgrades in GOES-16, the first of NOAA's next-generation weather satellites."The image is much more than a pretty picture, it is the future of weather observations and forecasting," National Service Weather director Louis Uccellini said in a statement.<a href="http://www.seeker.com/tracking-hurricane-matthew-big-data-models-drones-extreme-weather-2034590892.html">RELATED: Tracking Hurricane Matthew by Drone, Satellite and Big Data</a>"High resolution imagery from GOES-16 will provide sharper and more detailed views of hazardous weather systems and reveal features that previous instruments might have missed ... As a result, forecasters can issue more accurate, timely, and reliable watches and warnings, and provide better information to emergency managers and other decision makers."The full-disk image of Earth's western hemisphere is among 25 images released on Monday, including a 16-panel series showing the United States in two optical, four near-infrared and 10 infrared wavelengths. A personal favorite: this view, taken for calibration purposes, of the moon seemingly pinned in its orbit around Earth:GOES-R, which was renamed GOES-16 when it reached orbit, was launched on Nov. 19 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NOAA will announce in May whether the new bird will be positioned in an eastern or western location. It is expected to become operational in November.The next satellite in the series, GOES-S, is slated to fly in 2018.WATCH VIDEO: Climate Change Is Happening Faster Than You Think

<hr />Related on TestTube <a href="http://testu.be/1BykVOn" target="_blank">This is How Plants Predict Climate Change</a> <a href="http://testu.be/1Byl0S8" target="_blank">Which Countries Will Be Underwater Due to Climate Change?</a><hr />A new study from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) indicates that not only is the planet's climate shifting, but the temperature is also rising at a faster rate than ever before. Per decade, we can expect the average rate of change to be .2 to .6 degrees Celsius.The PNNL was able to make this conclusion after looking at vast amounts of recorded temperature data. Led by researcher Steve Smith, the group examined over two dozen climate models, looking at 40-year periods of temperature change. They broke the data into these periods as a way of accounting for any kind of manmade impact on climate trends. The models they used matched historically recorded weather data and the team also used them to make future predictions. Smith told <a href="http://www.weather.com/science/environment/news/climate-change-faster-than-ever-speeding-up" target="_blank">Weather.com</a>, "[W]e're in a regime where essentially in North America and Europe and Asia, you don't see any instances where temperatures decrease. It's all increasing. We've completely shifted out of that range."Learn More: <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/2014-to-be-hottest-year-ever-measured/" target="_blank">2014 to Be Hottest Year Ever Measured</a> (Scientific American) "This year will likely be the hottest on record for the planet, with global temperatures 1.03 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the 1961-to-1990 average, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization."<a href="http://www.weather.com/news/news/new-england-boston-record-snow-tracker" target="_blank">New England Record Snow Tracker: One of Snowiest Seasons in Boston, Providence, Bangor</a> (Weather.com) "An over one-month snow siege has parts of New England threatening or already blowing past all-time records."<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/todays-drought-in-the-west-is-nothing-compared-to-what-may-be-coming/2015/02/12/0041646a-b2d9-11e4-854b-a38d13486ba1_story.html" target="_blank">A 'megadrought' will grip U.S. in the coming decades, NASA researchers say</a> (The Washington Post) "The long and severe drought in the U.S. Southwest pales in comparison with what's coming: a 'megadrought' that will grip that region and the central Plains later this century and probably stay there for decades, a new study says."

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