While I plan on writing a more general update later today, I thought you would find the image below interesting. This is a “visible” satellite image at night courtesy of the Day-Night Band on the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) located on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite. Suomi NPP is a new NASA/NOAA polar orbiting satellite for improving weather forecasting and is part of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS). The Day-Night Band is one of many capabilities that NPP will provide over the next few years!
In the image, you will notice the city lights along the East Coast as Sandy lurks offshore. The details offered by an overnight satellite image allow forecasters to monitor slight nuances in convective development and this is achieved by using the sun’s reflected light on the moon which is at 93% tonight.
A special thank you to Liam Gumley from CIMSS/SSEC-University of Wisconsin-Madison for producing this image for us in the early hours this morning!
The Day-Night Band on the VIIRS instrument aboard the Suomi NPP satellite.
Thanks for reading!
Satellite Liaison Blog 
Wow impressive! I am really shocked at how much low cloud shows up along and behind the frontal boundary, especially over LA/MS/AL when comparing with IR satellite it does not show up nearly as extensive. Great image.
I agree. . .I can’t believe we will have this in operations in the next year!
Sandy is Gorgeous!