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Last night, people all over the United States were captivated by the lunar eclipse, but for one observer stationed on the moon, it was a completely different experience—one of a solar eclipse. The Blue Ghost spacecraft from Firefly Aerospace, located in the Moon’s Mare Crisium basin, witnessed the Earth passing in front of the sun.
Eclipses occur when the moon, Earth, and sun align perfectly, causing the Earth’s shadow to cast a red hue on the moon. Conversely, from the lunar perspective, the Earth would block the sun entirely. Fortunately, Blue Ghost managed to capture a stunning image of this event at approximately 4:30 a.m. ET.
According to Firefly Aerospace, “The photo features the sun just before it breaks free from the totality behind Earth. This is a historic moment, being the first instance where a commercial entity on the Moon could observe a total solar eclipse, while the Earth obscures the sun and casts shadows onto the lunar surface. This unique event coincided with the lunar eclipse visible from Earth.”
Additionally, the lunar lander captured an impressive video showcasing the eclipse, compiled from various photographs taken with different exposure settings. The moon’s surface adopts a reddish tone due to the way sunlight filters through Earth’s atmosphere, creating an eerie lunar landscape. Notably, a reflection of the eclipse can be seen on the lander’s solar panel, giving the illusion of two eclipses happening simultaneously.
This week, Blue Ghost has also transmitted remarkable images, including a breathtaking view of the sun as the solar eclipse commenced, taken around 1:30 a.m. ET:
The lander has also taken a captivating image of Earth from the lunar surface:
Blue Ghost is set to continue its mission on the moon, aiming to capture a lunar sunset before concluding its operations on March 16.
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