New satellite images show the moon's giant shadow across North America during the race April 8 Total Solar Eclipse. Photographs captured by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) also highlight the mind-blowing scale of this rare cosmic phenomenon.
On Monday (April 8), millions of people At or near perfection I watched the Moon temporarily block our home star as its shadow spread across North America from Mexico to Canada. During this event, totality – the period when the Sun is completely hidden – Lasted 4 minutes 28 secondsDepending on the location of the viewer.
Although some Adverse weather And a An unusually passive sun, viewers were able to capture stunning images of the eclipse from Earth. A few have been lucky enough to catch glimpses of rare phenomena, including solar flares called „Bailey's Beats” and bursts of plasma from the sun. But from space, the event was even more impressive.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Geospatial Operational Environment Satellite (GOES-16) took thousands of photos of the eclipse from its fixed position above North America. When these images were stitched together, they showed the moon's shadow spreading across the continent. Spaceweather.com reported.
The resulting visuals look like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.
„The moon's shadow raced across North America faster than 1,500 mph [2,400 km/h]creates a mind-altering cone of darkness,” wrote Spaceweather.com.
Related: When is the next total solar eclipse in North America after 2024?
Astronauts aboard the ISS also saw the eclipse from their unique vantage point, and the Expedition 71 crew captured a spectacular view of the moon's shadow from about 260 miles (418 kilometers) from Earth. NASA said. At this time, the dark void was moving from New York State to Newfoundland, Canada.
The ISS photo was no accident. There was NASA Gradually maneuvering the space station over months So it will pass the ecliptic, while the orbiting station avoids space debris. Ultimately, according to NASA, the ISS experienced 90% of the total.
However, the astronauts were unable to take photos of the actual eclipse because the sun-facing windows located in the station's Roscosmos wing were inaccessible due to „cargo restrictions,” NASA representatives wrote.
The moon's shadow is often referred to as the umbra, which is Latin for shadow. However, an umbra is the dark area at the heart of the Moon's shadow. The shadow of our natural satellite also consists of two other regions: the penumbra, where only part of the Sun is covered; and antumber, where a faint shadow is cast across a wide radius.
Observers located in the path of totality were temporarily covered by the true umbra, but anyone who experienced a dark sky outside of this path experienced a penumbra or anumbra. This is why the moon's shadow appears much wider than the path of totality in the new images.
If you missed the eclipse, don't worry, it's still here NASA's live broadcast of the event can be re-watched.
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