Witness Historic 'Diamond Ring' Lunar Shots Caught During Total Solar Eclipse Event
Cosmic Snapshots: Blue Ghost Captures Stunning Total Lunar Eclipse Images
From our Earthly perspective, we've witnessed the total lunar eclipse, but what about from the moon? Well, thanks to Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost spacecraft, we finally got a glimpse of last night's eclipse – lunar-style. The spacecraft-turned-photographer captured stunning images during the eclipse, including the ever-popular "diamond ring" effect.
During the 65-minute totality, Earth blocked the sun from reaching the moon, resulting in a total solar eclipse as witnessed from the lunar surface. Surrounded by a reddish glow from the "blood moon," Blue Ghost took breathtaking images that would make an eclipse chaser green with envy.
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The initial image of Earth eclipsing the sun wasn't immediately clear, but take a peek at the reflection on Blue Ghost. "Watch as a glowing ring of light emerges in the reflection of our solar panel as Earth began to block the sun," shares Firefly's latest blog post. The spacecraft is working on beaming more imagery soon, once warming up its X-band antenna.
The primary image sent back by Blue Ghost showcased the first diamond ring! The caption reads, "Blue Ghost gets her first diamond ring! Captured at our landing site in Mare Crisium around 3:30 am CDT, the photo shows the sun about to emerge from totality behind Earth."
The total lunar eclipse, as witnessed from the moon, is quite the cosmic spectacle different from what we observers see on our planet.
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Lunar Orb, Earthly Glow
From Earth, a total lunar eclipse involves the full moon passing through Earth's dark umbral shadow in space, turning reddish for a short time during totality. However, on March 13-14, totality lasted for a whopping 65 minutes. From the moon, a total lunar eclipse sees Earth move in front of the sun to block its light, resulting in a total solar eclipse.
Unlike a total solar eclipse witnessed from Earth, it doesn't get dark on the moon. The only light that can reach the lunar surface when it's in Earth's shadow (which blocks direct sunlight) is first being filtered and scattered by Earth's atmosphere.
Eclipse on the Moon: A Familiar yet Different Tale
It's not the first time a spacecraft has imaged a total lunar eclipse from the moon. In 1967, NASA's Surveyor III captured some basic images of the event, and in 2009, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kaguya spacecraft captured a timelapse sequence of the event, including the diamond ring moment favored by eclipse enthusiasts on Earth.
The Blushing Moon: A Lunar Sunrise
Due to a phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering, blue and violet short-wavelength light striking atoms in Earth's atmosphere scatters while long-wavelength red and orange light bends onto the lunar surface. In essence, it paints a canvas of thousands of lunar sunrises and sunsets. During a total solar eclipse, the new moon drifts between Earth and the sun, casting its shadow onto Earth.
Blue Ghost, which landed on the Moon on March 2, became the second commercial spacecraft to achieve this. Located at the foot of the Mons Latreille mountain in the Sea of Crises, just northeast of the Sea of Tranquility, Apollo 11's landing site, the spacecraft took an image of a lunar sunrise and has been operating on solar power ever since.
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A day on the moon lasts for an entire orbit of the Earth – 29 days – with each day and night lasting for 14.5 days. Blue Ghost, due to its reliance on solar power, is operating during one entire period of lunar daylight, a common practice for lunar missions. As the moon enters night phase on March 16, Blue Ghost's mission will come to an end. But, before it goes dark, it plans to capture one more historical sequence – a lunar sunset in high-definition video. Tune in on March 17 for the crowd-pleaser.
On Sept. 7-8, the year's second total lunar eclipse will occur, with the event being most visible for observers in Asia and Australia.
Wishing you lunar marvels and eager eyes!
Enrichment Data (Used Sparingly and Relevant):During the total lunar eclipse on March 13-14, Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost spacecraft captured images of the lunar surface from the Moon's perspective, which is essentially a total solar eclipse. The images show the Earth blocking the sun and casting a shadow on the lunar surface[1][3]. The moon remained well-lit due to the scattering of shorter wavelengths of light (Raleigh scattering) by Earth's atmosphere, causing a reddish hue and similarities to a "blood moon." The "diamond ring effect" was also observed as the sun peeked through Earth's valleys[1][2][4]. The captured images were possible due to the battery power used by the spacecraft during the eclipse[4]. The eclipse lasted nearly five hours at the Blue Ghost's landing site in Mare Crisium, with totality lasting over two hours[1][4].
- Intriguingly, the total solar eclipse from the moon's perspective, as observed by Blue Ghost, exhibited a unique version of the often-embraced "diamond ring" effect by eclipse enthusiasts on Earth.
- Unlike the terrestrial version of a total lunar eclipse, when Earth blocks the sun from reaching the moon and the moon turns reddish, a total solar eclipse witnessed from the moon involves Earth moving in front of the sun to block its light on the lunar surface, with the only source of light being Earth's atmosphere.
- Remarkably, the "blood moon" photos captured by Blue Ghost spacecraft, during the 65-minute totality of the total solar eclipse on March 13-14, showcased a diffused light from Earth's atmosphere, resulting in a stunning, reddish glow on the lunar surface.
