The newest weather satellite, or GOES-16, is the first ever satellite in geostationary orbit to detect lightning.
This weather satellite, with its Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), will constantly watch the western hemisphere, looking for lightning strikes.
Lightning can help forecasters identify when a storm is strengthening or weakening. And if a storm is quickly intensifying, it could be an indication of severe weather.
The lightning tracker will also be able to monitor storms that move into the ocean when we can't rely on radar to track the storms.
Overall, this new tool floating in space will help to keep us safer on the ground by giving all of us a more advanced warning when life-threatening weather is about to hit.
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