TV weather shows rarely show visible images. The satellite visible images are available only during the daytime and provide additional information on the weather. The following interactive exercise is an introduction to interpreting satellite visible images and can answer question "How does the thickness of a cloud change the way it looks from the satellite?"
How does the thickness of a cloud change the way it looks from the satellite? This image is in the visible part of the spectrum, and the radiant energy is not a function of temperature, as was the case in the IR example.The vertical scale changes the cloud thickness.
Using the horizontal sliding scale, you can modify the surface characteristics which will, in turn, alter the brightness of the scene.
Questions to consider:
 | What happens to the image when you make the cloud thinner? |
| What happens to the image when you make the cloud thicker? |
| What happens to the image when you change the type of surface? |
| Why is it difficult to see a cloud over snow? |
| Do you think you can distinguish a thick high cloud from a thick low cloud using visible image alone?
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