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As the satellite scans farther away from nadir, the scan angle increases and water vapor channel radiances originate from higher in the atmosphere. In the left panel, the highlighted weighting function is typical for near nadir viewing. When viewing closer to the limb, energy detected by the satellite comes from water vapor higher in the atmosphere. Notice the increase in path length in the animation. The weighting function for near the earth’s limb shows that the layer contributing to the detected energy is relatively thin and from higher in the troposphere. Little energy from the warmer atmosphere below is sensed. This phenomenon, known as "Limb Darkening", is particularly noticeable for scan angles greater than 60 degrees.
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