Copyright February/March 1997 by Weatherwise magazine
Satellites show weather patterns which cannot be seen from the ground. There are two types of weather satellites:
There are cameras on board the satellites
which send back photographs of clouds. Each satellite is equipped with
light and heat sensors, recorders, a radio receiver and transmitter, and
other recording instruments. Satellites are very effective in helping meteorologists
to chart a storm's progress and predict where it is going.
The first weather satellite, TIROS I, was launched on April 1, 1960. It circled earth every two hours at heights of 420-900 miles and sent back pictures of cloud and snow cover. Since then it has been replaced with newer, more sophisticated satellites. Today there are several satellites sending back data. The satellite pictures you see on TV weather reports are from GOES satellites.
The following image is a satellite picture of the "Blizzard of '96" which was a huge snowstorm we experienced on the East Coast a year ago.
Here is a picture of an actual satellite circling the earth:
