Advanced very-high-resolution radiometer

<p>The Advanced Very-High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) instrument is a space-borne sensor that measures the reflectance of the Earth in five spectral bands that are relatively wide by today's standards. AVHRR instruments are or have been carried by the <a href="/facts/National_Oceanic_and_Atmospheric_Administration/IvcuqNJg">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA) family of polar orbiting platforms (<a href="/facts/Polar_Operational_Environmental_Satellites/pm9zF0Dy">POES</a>) and European <a href="/facts/MetOp/XnNqvSSu">MetOp</a> satellites. The instrument scans several channels; two are centered on the red (0.6 micrometres) and near-<a href="/facts/Infrared/44XdJNcc">infrared</a> (0.9 micrometres) regions, a third one is located around 3.5 micrometres, and another two the thermal radiation emitted by the planet, around 11 and 12 micrometres.
</p><p>The first AVHRR instrument was a four-channel <a href="/facts/Radiometer/TUexhkgT">radiometer</a>. The final version, AVHRR/3, first carried on NOAA-15 launched in May 1998, acquires data in six channels. The AVHRR has been succeeded by the <a href="/facts/Visible_Infrared_Imaging_Radiometer_Suite/13YvletU">Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite</a>, carried on the <a href="/facts/Joint_Polar_Satellite_System/IrK4GbL6">Joint Polar Satellite System</a> spacecraft.
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Advanced very-high-resolution radiometer open-in-new

Advanced very-high-resolution radiometer