Interpret visible satellite pictures

Question

How do one interpret visible satellite pictures?

Answer 1

The pictures sent back to us from Weather Satellites are just photographs taken through outer space. We obtain visible images throughout the daylight while the earth reflects sunlight back to outer space. Visible pictures illustrate the amount of light reflected back to outer space. Thick water rich clouds, such like stratus (common along the North Coast during Summer months), show up as bright white on visible pictures. Snow pack over the Sierra Nevada throughout the Winter is another good reflector of sunlight. During the night, visible pictures are entirely black as there is very little or