NOAA GOES Image Viewer website

Site Help and Troubleshooting

Common problems

  1. Misbehaving Animation
    If GOES animations stutter, jump, or display truncated images, the problem can be corrected in most cases by clearing your computer's browser cache.
  2. Image quality problems
    • If images have chunks missing from them:
      this is usually a transient problem of missing data for a single image that will correct itself in the next update;
    • If images are noisy or striped:
      The problem is probably caused by the Loop Heat Pipe problem. The Loop Heat Pipe problem impacts infrared channels (7-16) from GOES-West very late at night / early in the a.m. at certain times of the year. Loop Heat Pipe image flaws generally resolve later in the morning.
  3. UPDATE YOUR BROWSERS & RUN ANY SYSTEM PATCHES
    We will always instruct you to make sure your browser versions are up-to-date. Before you contact us, you should check for browser updates and install them. Updates have the potential to solve many GOES imagery site problems. We also recommend that you try accessing the site with a different device, different browser, or from a different internet connection to see if your problems are resolved.
  4. Low Bandwidth
    If your internet download speed is consistently less than 2-3 MBPS, your system may struggle to consistently run this site's animations. To aid lower bandwidth users, the animation pages now include the ability to select 'small' or 'large' images. If you do everything listed above and still have poor animation performance, choose 'small' for the image animation size. Small images are served automatically to users on smartphones or tablet-type devices.
  5. WiFi
    Unstable WiFi connections can cause animation loading problems on this site. If you suspect your WiFi connection is at fault, try unplugging and plugging back in your WiFi router's electric cord. When you unplug the router, keep it unplugged for 30 seconds before plugging it back in. Another way to test for a faulty WiFi connection is to switch to using a wired connection to your router instead. If the wired connection performs better, WiFi is the culprit.

Still need further assistance?

The panel below lists some basic configuration information about your computer operating system and web browser. If you are having difficulty accessing images on this site, please copy the contents of the panel, along with the WEB ADDRESS of the page you are having difficulty with, a description of the problem, and any error messages, and send it to NESDIS.STAR.Webmaster@noaa.gov. This information will make it easier for us to help you!


Your system information