ISS Astronauts Track Moon's Shadow From 400 Kilometers Up During 2-to-4-Minute Total Eclipse
Updated
Updated · Noticias Ambientales · Aug 13
ISS Astronauts Track Moon's Shadow From 400 Kilometers Up During 2-to-4-Minute Total Eclipse
3 articles · Updated · Noticias Ambientales · Aug 13
Summary
More than 400 kilometers above Earth, astronauts aboard the ISS watched the Moon’s shadow sweep across the planet during a total solar eclipse, seeing a continent-scale dark patch impossible to view from the ground.
NASA says the shadow races at just over 1,000 kph to more than 8,000 kph near the poles, a speed set by the Moon’s motion, Earth’s rotation and their relative movement.
That rapid transit limits totality at any point on Earth to about 2 to 4 minutes, while astronauts can follow the shadow’s path across thousands of kilometers from orbit.
The eclipse also gives scientists a chance to study the Sun’s corona and how the moving shadow affects Earth’s atmosphere and ionosphere.