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First Solar Eclipse Recorded From Moon

Posted by timothy on from the that-we-know-of dept.

dazza101 writes "For the first time ever, we have witnessed a solar eclipse from the moon. On 10 February 2009 Japan's Kaguya lunar orbiter captured the sight of the Earth eclipsing the sun. The spacecraft also recorded this video showing the Earth surrounded by a glowing ring and briefly forming the classic diamond ring that often occurs during a solar eclipse, as seen from down here on Earth."

17 of 123 comments (clear)

  1. even better by jcgam69 · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's even better than a solar eclipse as seen from earth because the earth's atmosphere diffracts light from the sun, causing a ring of light to appear around the planet. Very cool.

    1. Re:even better by Fluffeh · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This is indeed one of the most amazing photos I have seen. Yeah, nebula are pretty, galaxies are neato and we all like those quirky things that radio telescopes find, but this is our planet. Somewhere on that black circle with the little white halo... somewhere on that is where I am. My house, my work, my friends. I might have been asleep when that was taken, I might have beer right here at work.

      And while I was doing all that, someone took a few amazing photos. Kudos to them!

      --
      Moved to http://soylentnews.org/. You are invited to join us too!
    2. Re:even better by Bemopolis · · Score: 4, Informative

      That's not diffraction. The irregular surface of the moon partially blocks the sunlight during a solar eclipse, producing an effect called Bailey's beads. The drama of this effect is helped considerably by the rough equivalence of the sun and moon's angular size as seen from Earth.
      By comparison, on the moon the Earth is approximately three times the angular size of the Sun, so the illumination of the rim only occurs because of atmospheric diffraction. This diffraction of sunlight is also responsible for the reddish light one sees during a lunar eclipse.

      --
      "I guess the moral of the story is, don't paint your airship with rocket fuel." -- Addison Bain
    3. Re:even better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Slightly older, also showing an eclipse and the earth, but taken from the shadow of saturn is this Astronomy picture of the day.

  2. Re:Hoax? by Metasquares · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's no moon...

  3. In related news by InsertWittyNameHere · · Score: 5, Funny

    The RIAA, on behalf of it's client Universal Media Studios, has issued a DMCA take down notice for the lunar orbiter's obvious infringement of the copyright of the opening credits to the television drama series Hereos.

    1. Re:In related news by interkin3tic · · Score: 5, Insightful

      New Godwin rule: all /. discussions inevitably end in the mention of DRM or the RIAA.

    2. Re:In related news by Explodicle · · Score: 4, Funny

      the television drama series Hereos.

      Please don't correct him; Universal Media Studios has copyrighted the original word.

  4. (C)JAXA/NHK by Kushieda+Minorin · · Score: 5, Funny

    Kono shashin wa JAXA to NHK goran no suponsaa no tei kyou de okurishimasu.

    1. Re:(C)JAXA/NHK by Ihmhi · · Score: 4, Insightful

      He's basically saying, in Japanese, that this picture was sponsored by JAXA (the Japanese space agency) and NHK (a Japanese television station). It's a joke.

      shashin = picture
      suponsaa = sponser
      okurishimasu = i'll send you, i'll forward to you

      This is the Japanese version of "brought to you by $SPONSORS" that any anime or Japanese television fan would recognize as they say it after the credits of nearly every show.

      --
      Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
  5. Terran Eclipse? by clintp · · Score: 4, Informative

    During a total solar eclipse (from the Earth's perspective), the ring of light around the moon is from the sun's photosphere showing around the edges of the moon.

    The ring around the earth in the solar eclipse (from the Moon's perspective) is from the light refracting from the atmosphere. I'd think the Earth's relative size would be far too large for an effect like Baily's Beads to be seen from the moon.

    Or am I missing something?

    --
    Get off my lawn.
    1. Re:Terran Eclipse? by mbone · · Score: 4, Informative

      You are correct. The Moon's angular size is close enough to the Sun's that some eclipses are annular (the Moon is too far away to cover the Sun). Even during a total eclipse, you can see the bright inner corona (not the photosphere - that's what makes it total).

      For lunar eclipses, the Earth will generally completely cover the Sun, inner corona and all. However, refraction through the Earth's atmosphere lights up the Lunar landscape, (i.e., the light of every Sun rise and Sun set going on everywhere on Earth). This light - the depth of the eclipse - has been used to infer global atmospheric conditions over historical time.

  6. Re:Hoax? by interkin3tic · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... it's the earth.

  7. Conspiracies-R-Us... by geekmux · · Score: 4, Funny

    Apollo 12 went through a solar eclipse on the way back from the Moon, shortly after leaving Lunar Orbit.

    Yeah, and we almost had it on video too, until some moron opened the emergency exit door on the lunar studio and ruined the whole shoot...

  8. Re:Hoax? by commodoresloat · · Score: 5, Funny

    No; it's a picture the sun, actually. I don't get the big deal about this stupid picture; there's a whole fuckin planet in the way!

  9. Re:Hoax? by interkin3tic · · Score: 4, Funny

    I know what you mean. Earth blocking sun? Happens every night to me.

  10. Re:POV changes, name doesn't. by Intron · · Score: 4, Informative

    This is a solar eclipse because the Sun is being obscured. In a lunar eclipse the Moon is being obscured. If you're on the moon there are no lunar eclipses.

    If things always have the same name regardless of where they are viewed, why can't I get to my home coputer by typing "localhost"?

    --
    Intron: the portion of DNA which expresses nothing useful.