This map shows where the NOAA-14 satellite scanned the earth below as it passed northward. The satellite scans 6 lines of 2048 pixels across its path every second using its motion to space the scan lines apart. This map shows every 200th scan line. The large blue circle is the geometric horizon of the tracking dish. The inner red curve shows horizon obstructions. This pass was tracked very well, perhaps even slightly below the horizon on both ends. Some of the horizon obstructions are trees but since this was in winter they had no leaves which allowed the signal to pass through more easily.

The background colors shows the sun's altitude. The red band near the top is where the sun is on the horizon, and above that is the band of civil twilight. This is why the overview image is so dark in the upper part.