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Yesterday, the European Space Agency (ESA) released the first animation using data from the first third-generation satellite, Meteosat, which was launched on December 13 last year. The satellite is the first instrument that can continuously detect lightning across Europe and Africa, according to the agency.
The satellite is the first of six satellites that are part of the complete MTG (Meteosat Third Generation-Imager) designed to provide critical data for the short-term and early detection of potential extreme weather events.
The “Lightning Imager” can detect fast lightning flashes in the Earth’s atmosphere from a distance of 36,000 km, using its four cameras that can cover Europe, Africa, the Middle East and parts of South America. Each camera can take up to 1,000 pictures per second and will constantly monitor lightning activity from space.
The video below is a series of images that were created by collecting one minute’s worth of lightning measurements which were then overlaid over images of Earth.
He watches #Lightning Spark over parts of Europe and Africa in this video from New European #weather-track #Satellites.
credit: esa pic.twitter.com/1wVIkywSDC– IE Science (ie express science) July 4, 2023
Data from this new satellite will give greater confidence in weather forecasts with severe storms expected, according to the European Space Agency. This will be particularly useful in predicting storms in remote areas and in oceans where lightning detection capabilities are limited.
Aside from increasing weather forecasts and making it easier for scientists to understand the consequences of such storms on climate change, the Lightning Imager will also play an important role in air traffic safety, as lightning poses a significant risk to flight instruments on board aircraft.
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