Calibration of GOES-R ABI Data Using Celestial Targets

The 16-band GOES-R Series Advanced Baseline Imager scans sizable areas of deep space, and these regions regularly contain serendipitous observations of bright celestial objects, namely, the Moon, bright planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter), and several bright stars. The Moon has already been established as a radiometric calibrator for Earth-observing instruments, but little work has been done in utilizing other targets. In this presentation, we find that Mercury, and possibly Venus, may have potential as calibration targets. Future instruments with greater sensitivity will yield also more (and more accurate) observations of celestial targets in their space scans.