NOAA satellites to capture moon’s shadow against Earth during 2017 total solar eclipse

While most of America will be looking up on August 21 during the solar eclipse, America’s newest weather satellite, NOAA's GOES-16, will be looking down on the earth, tracking the moon’s shadow across the United States with its highly sophisticated Advanced Baseline Imager. And NOAA plans to issue images of the eclipse from GOES-16 and its other polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites as they become available.

An artist's rendering of GOES-S.

An artist's rendering of GOES-S. (Image credit: NOAA)

The satellite’s imager will provide three, high-resolution, color animations and still pictures of the eclipse. And flying on NOAA's DSCOVR satellite in orbit one million miles away between the Earth, sun and past the moon –​ is the NASA EPIC camera. The high-powered EPIC will also take images and a movie of the moon’s shadow on Earth that likely will be available within one or two days following the eclipse.

Here's a look at the expected times of the GOES-16 and DSCOVR visuals:

GOES-16 animations and still images
First Animation: 1:30 p.m. ET
Shows the eclipse shadow emerging from the Pacific Ocean

Second animation: 3:30 p.m. ET
Shows the full-run of the eclipse shadow, moving across the continental U.S., after the shadow has left the coast of South Carolina

Third animation: between 4:30 - 5 p.m. ET
Shows the entire loop of the eclipse shadow passing across the whole Earth

All of the GOES-16 eclipse animations and still images will be available at https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/2017Eclipse

(Please credit GOES-16 imagery to NOAA.)

EPIC image and movie
The visible color images and movie from NASA’s EPIC camera aboard NOAA's DSCOVR satellite will be available at https://epic.gsfc.nasa.gov

(Please credit EPIC images to NASA/NOAA.)

Media contact:
John Leslie, 301-713-0214
Twitter: @NOAASatellitePA