Mission and observations
Its observations help scientists and forecasters study atmospheric temperature, moisture, clouds, oceans and the land surface. A polar-orbiting satellite differs from a geostationary satellite: it repeatedly passes over different geographic regions rather than remaining above one longitude.
How to read the orbital position
CUPOLA estimates the position of NOAA-20 using orbital elements for NORAD 43013. A position timestamp is a model calculation, not confirmation that a particular instrument was imaging your location at that moment. Scientific weather-image products have separate acquisition and publication times.
Important distinction
An overhead orbital pass should not be confused with the acquisition time or coverage of a NOAA weather image.
CUPOLA uses orbital elements and SGP4 to estimate position and ground track. These are mathematical predictions rather than directly measured real-time spacecraft coordinates. Old or unverified source data may prevent a current result from appearing.
Mission source
Read the spacecraft's scientific and operational background from the mission organization.
NASA — Joint Polar Satellite System ↗