On April 8, folks in the US, Canada, and Mexico watched in awe as the Moon danced between the Sun and Earth. While countless stunning images captured the darkness descending on land, a whole other spectacle unfolded high above our planet. Satellites and astronauts documented the eclipse’s path, offering a breathtaking perspective you can’t see from the ground.
Videos
While a total solar eclipse happens when the Moon blocks the Sun’s light for those in its shadow, the view from space offers a unique perspective. Thankfully, some satellites were able to capture this celestial event.
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-16) captured the Moon’s shadow moving across North America, showcasing its path from 4 pm to 11 pm CEST (2 pm and 9 pm UTC). These satellites, a collaboration between NOAA and NASA, are positioned about 36,000 kilometers away from Earth. ESA shared the timelapse video:
SpaceX’s Starlink Satellites also recorded footage of the shadow racing eastward across North America.
Other than satellites, NASA Astronaut Jessica Meir also shared footage of the path of totality over North Texas that she caught from the sky. At the moment of the eclipse, she was on a T38 jet flight at 11,900 meters (39,000 feet).
“We saw the darkness approaching us from behind. Soon it caught up with us and we had several minutes in totality as we chased along its path,” Meir wrote on Instagram. “Then we were back in the light once again. Not a bad day in the office.”
Images
Other than videos, the eclipse view from space was also captured in a couple of photos. One comes from NASA’s EPIC Camera on DSCOVR. This Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera on the Deep Space Climate Observatory satellite snapped a series of images between 4 pm and 8:30 pm UTC, showcasing Earth bathed in sunlight as the eclipse progressed.
NASA also shared a NOAA-20 satellite mosaic of images. It shows the eclipse’s progression from east to west, with images taken before, during, and after the event.
Did you watch the April 8 eclipse? Did you manage to take photos?
[via IFLScience]
