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GOES-16 Satellite Maps Lightning Strikes From Space

The satellite will help predict severe weather.

A new satellite is able to map lightning from space.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration launched the GOES-16 satellite in November. It's an advanced weather tracking satellite that allows meteorologists to follow severe storms and other atmospheric phenomenon from its position in orbit.

On Monday, the organization released stunning images that showed lightning flashes in Texas over the course of one hour on Feb. 14.

The satellite's storm mapping could let forecasters predict where lightning will strike, helping them anticipate forest fires or flash floods.

NOAA says it will also help map lightning and storms over oceans, so ships and planes can navigate more safely.

In Canada, lightning flashes over two million times each year, and strikes kill 10 people and injure 164 others, according to the Government of Canada.

The satellite has been called "the future of weather forecasting."

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