The first, spectacular images of Hawaii from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s new GOES-17 satellite, with a new vantage point over the Pacific Ocean, are now available for weather forecasters.

The satellite on Tuesday began transmitting its first high-definition images of Alaska, Hawaii, and the Pacific Ocean, shortly after GOES-17 finished moving to its new orbital position at 137.2 degrees west longitude, where it will become NOAA’s operational GOES West satellite on Dec. 10.

Launched March 1 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, GOES-17 is the second in a series of NOAA’s next-generation geostationary weather satellites. It is designed to provide advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth from 22,300 miles above the equator.

The Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on board GOES-17 will help NOAA to track and monitor cloud formation, atmospheric motion, convection, land surface temperatures, fire and smoke, volcanic ash, sea ice, and more.

“GOES-17 will significantly enhance our ability to forecast the weather in the western United States, especially in Alaska and Hawaii,” said NOAA. “With its expanded satellite coverage at high latitudes, GOES-17 will provide a significantly clearer view of the state of Alaska, where it will improve our ability to track environmental conditions, such as sea ice, volcanic ash, snow cover and wildfires. GOES-17 will also provide more and better data over the northeastern Pacific Ocean, where many weather systems that affect the continental U.S. begin.”