There's no place like home: NASA releases beautiful satellite photos of Earth

NASA and and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have released incredible photos of home taken from a new satellite orbiting Earth called GOES-16. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) are a number of satellites that both agencies have used to monitor meteorological conditions across the globe. GOES-16 was launched on Nov. 19, 2016.

The moon is seen with the Earth in this image from GOES-16.

Here, the moon hangs above Earth. This image was captured by GOES-16 on Jan. 15. Like other GOES satellites it will use the moon for calibration.

A storm system moves across the U.S.

A massive storm system is seen here crossing much of the United States on Jan.15. The storm was responsible for freezing rain and ice across several states that caused power outages and several deaths. The GOES satellite will help provide better data on systems such as this one. A second new GOES satellite, currently called GOES-S, will launch in spring 2018.

The east coast of the U.S. and parts of Canada are seen ahead of the storm.

The east coast of the United States is seen here before the storm passed through the region. Lakes Erie and Ontario are visible, as are southern Ontario and Quebec.

The inviting, warm waters of the Caribbean show as light blue.

While eastern Canada and parts of the U.S east coast were dealing with chilly weather, it was still warm in the Caribbean. Here, the shallow, light blue waters of the Caribbean are seen.

The Great Lakes show clearly in image of our blue marble seen from space.

This composite image shows a full-disk of Earth and the western hemisphere from Canada straight down to South America. The Great Lakes, as well as the St. Lawrence Seaway, are clearly visible.

South America is brown and green with mountain waves clouds.

GOES-16 captured storms in the northeast of Argentina. Mountain waves clouds are also seen in the southwest. These types of clouds form under a particular set of conditions and look like a sequence of waves, hence their name. 

Smoke and fire are seen from space in Mexico and Central America.

Smoke and fire is seen here in this mainly cloud-free image of Mexico and Central America. The new GOES satellites — GOES-16 and soon-to-be-launched GOES-S — will help monitor conditions that might exacerbate fires.

Heavy clouds hang over the Pacific Ocean and California.

"The image is much more than a pretty picture — it is the future of weather observations and forecasting," said Louis W. Uccellini, director of NOAA's National Weather Service in Silver Spring, Maryland.

"High resolution imagery from GOES-16 will provide sharper and more detailed views of hazardous weather systems and reveal features that previous instruments might have missed …  As a result, forecasters can issue more accurate, timely, and reliable watches and warnings, and provide better information to emergency managers and other decision makers."