CUPOLA / EARTH SCIENCE
Clouds from orbit.
Every bright cloud in an Earth visualization needs its own timestamp and source footprint. CUPOLA draws on real observations where available and distinguishes them from forecast fill or visual layers.
What a geostationary sensor sees
GOES instruments continuously observe fixed regions of the Americas and nearby oceans. JMA Himawari covers much of East Asia and the western Pacific. No single geostationary sensor photographs the full globe.
Why some cloud imagery is older
A sensor acquires an image, a ground system processes it, and a public product is published later. The scene may be rendered now while its cloud product is several minutes or more behind.
What happens between satellite footprints
A weather model can fill otherwise uncovered areas or predict future cloud structures. Those model pixels are not observations. CUPOLA keeps model and observed provenance separate.
What a seamless image can hide
Image mosaics blend source boundaries to make the globe readable. A visually seamless blend is not proof that every pixel has the same instrument, accuracy or acquisition time.