You’ve probably seen them lurking in the corners of weather forums or weird "glitch in the matrix" threads. Grainy, distorted, and occasionally haunting images labeled as HAV and MAR photos. At first glance, they look like something out of an analog horror series. Maybe a secret government experiment? Or just a broken camera from the 90s?
Honestly, the reality is way more interesting—and a lot more technical—than the creepypasta rumors would have you believe.
When people talk about HAV and MAR photos, they are usually referring to specific artifacts and telemetry data found in imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). These aren't just "pictures." They are data visualizations. Understanding why they look so weird requires peeling back the curtain on how we actually get images from space down to your smartphone screen.
It's a messy process.
What Are HAV and MAR Photos Actually?
Let's clear the air. In the world of satellite meteorology, these acronyms aren't spooky codes. They usually refer to specific data channels or processing flags. Specifically, "MAR" is frequently associated with "Marine" or "Maritime" processing layers, while "HAV" often pops up in older telemetry logs or specialized High-Altitude View configurations.
Satellite imagery isn't a single "click" of a shutter.
Geostationary satellites like the GOES series (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) use instruments like the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI). This thing doesn't just take a photo; it scans the Earth in 16 different spectral bands. Some see visible light (what we see), but others see infrared, water vapor, and sulfur dioxide. When you see a "MAR" labeled photo that looks deep blue or strangely high-contrast, you're usually looking at a specific filter optimized to detect sea surface temperatures or maritime aerosol concentrations.
The "glitchy" look? That’s usually bitmasking.
When a satellite sends data back to Earth, it’s a stream of 1s and 0s. If a solar flare hits the sensor, or if there’s a bit of interference during the downlink to a ground station in Maryland or Alaska, you get "dropped packets." This results in those horizontal lines, neon discolorations, and "ghosting" effects that people find so unsettling.
📖 Related: Why the CH 46E Sea Knight Helicopter Refused to Quit
The Role of APT and HRPT Receivers
A lot of the HAV and MAR photos floating around the internet aren't actually from NASA's official public PR gallery. Instead, they come from the "SDR" (Software Defined Radio) community.
Basically, anyone with a $30 dongle and a homemade "V-dipole" antenna can pull signals directly from the sky as a NOAA satellite passes overhead. These satellites (like NOAA-15, 18, and 19) broadcast using Automatic Picture Transmission (APT).
It’s old tech. Like, really old.
Because the signal is analog, it’s susceptible to every bit of local noise. If your neighbor turns on a microwave or a plane flies overhead, the "MAR" (Maritime) data channel might suddenly shift into a jagged mess of black and white static. Hobbyists often share these raw, unedited captures. To the uninitiated, a raw NOAA-19 MAR-enhanced image looks like a post-apocalyptic map. To a weather nerd, it just means the signal-to-noise ratio was garbage that morning.
Why Do They Look So "Cursed"?
Human brains are wired for pareidolia. We see faces in clouds and monsters in the dark.
When you look at a MAR-filtered image of the Atlantic, the satellite is stripping away the "pretty" colors to show thermal gradients. Warm water might be rendered as a jarring bright white, while cold currents are a void-like black. This high-contrast rendering makes the coastline look skeletal.
- Solar Conjugation: Occasionally, the sun aligns perfectly behind a satellite, screaming radio noise directly into the receiver. This fries the image momentarily.
- Sensor Saturation: If the sensor catches a direct reflection of the sun off the ocean (specular reflection), it "blows out" the data.
- The "HAV" Anomaly: In certain high-altitude visualizations, the Earth’s limb (the edge of the atmosphere) can appear as a glowing, distorted halo due to refraction.
People love a mystery. It’s way more fun to think HAV and MAR photos are evidence of a hollow earth than it is to admit they are just the result of a 20-year-old satellite having a bad day because of a solar storm.
Technical Nuance: MAR and Maritime Aerosol Direct Radiative Forcing
If you want to get really deep into the weeds, look at the work of researchers like those at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. They use "MAR" datasets to track how dust from the Sahara Desert travels across the ocean to the Caribbean.
👉 See also: What Does Geodesic Mean? The Math Behind Straight Lines on a Curvy Planet
These photos aren't meant to be "pretty." They are tools.
When a researcher looks at a "MAR" processed image, they aren't looking for "cool clouds." They are looking for the optical depth of aerosols. If the image looks "smoky" or "blurry" in a way that feels unnatural, it's actually documenting millions of tons of dust reflecting sunlight back into space. This data is critical for climate modeling, but to a casual observer, it just looks like a corrupted file.
Common Misconceptions About Satellite "Glitches"
There is a persistent rumor that certain HAV or MAR photos are "deleted" by agencies.
They aren't.
The sheer volume of data coming off the GOES-R series is staggering—about 3.5 terabytes per day. Most of it is processed by automated scripts. If an image comes back looking like a psychedelic nightmare because of a transmission error, it doesn't get "hidden." It usually just gets filtered out by the quality control algorithms because it's useless for weather forecasting.
The "missing" photos people hunt for are usually just gaps in the timeline where the satellite was undergoing "station-keeping" maneuvers. You can't take a steady picture when you're firing thrusters to avoid a piece of space junk.
How to View Real HAV and MAR Data Yourself
If you’re tired of the grainy screenshots on social media, go to the source.
The NOAA STAR (Satellite Applications and Research) website allows you to view the "Sectorized Cloud and Moisture Imagery." You can toggle through different "Bands."
✨ Don't miss: Starliner and Beyond: What Really Happens When Astronauts Get Trapped in Space
Try this:
- Go to a real-time satellite viewer (like College of DuPage or NOAA's own portal).
- Switch from "True Color" to "Infrared" or "Water Vapor."
- Look at the "Maritime" or "Aerosol" layers if available.
You'll see exactly where those "weird" colors come from. It’s all about the math of light.
Moving Beyond the "Creepy" Factor
The internet has a way of turning technical jargon into urban legends.
We see it with "Number Stations," and we see it with HAV and MAR photos. But when you understand the physics of remote sensing, the "scary" images become incredible feats of human engineering. We are literally bouncing radio waves off the atmosphere to see the invisible heat of the ocean. That's way cooler than a ghost in the machine.
Next time you see a jagged, purple-and-green "MAR" photo of the Florida coast, don't look for a conspiracy. Look for the Gulf Stream. Look for the heat. Look for the data.
Practical Steps for Enthusiasts
If you want to dive deeper into this world without falling for the "glitch" traps:
- Learn to identify the satellites: NOAA-15 is the oldest and produces the most "glitchy" (and thus "famous") photos due to its failing motor.
- Get an RTL-SDR dongle: For about $30, you can download the WXtoImg software and start capturing your own MAR-frequency photos. There is nothing like the rush of seeing a "secret" image scroll down your screen in real-time as a satellite passes 500 miles above your house.
- Study the spectral bands: Familiarize yourself with the 16 bands of the ABI. Knowing that Band 10 is for Sulfur Dioxide will explain why some "HAV" images look so yellow and "toxic."
- Follow the experts: Follow accounts like @UWSSEC (CIMSS Satellite Blog) for actual breakdowns of weird satellite phenomena, from "bolide" (meteor) captures to strange lightning patterns.
The world of satellite imagery is vast, complex, and occasionally very ugly. But that ugliness is just raw information waiting for a human to make sense of it. Stop looking for what's "hidden" and start looking at what's actually being shown.
Actionable Insight: To verify any "strange" satellite photo you find online, check the timestamp and cross-reference it with the NOAA OSPO (Office of Satellite and Product Operations) status reports. Most "mysterious" glitches are officially logged as routine maintenance or known sensor anomalies. This is the fastest way to debunk misinformation and understand the technical reality of the image.