How Solar Eclipse Looks From Space: NASA Shares Video
Rare total solar eclipse wows North America; astronauts capture stunning footage from space.
Residents in Mexico, Canada, and the United States experienced a remarkable celestial event on April 8: a total solar eclipse. This infrequent phenomenon occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, obscuring the Sun's rays entirely. While spectators on the ground marvelled at the eclipse, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) enjoyed an unparalleled view from above.
From the vantage point of space, the eclipse manifested as a dark shadow gradually traversing the continent. The ISS captured stunning footage of this occurrence, showcasing the path of totality stretching from Mazatlan, Mexico to Newfoundland, Canada, and spanning across 15 US states. Although total solar eclipses happen globally every 11 to 18 months, witnessing one from Earth's surface remains a rare event. The last such spectacle in the United States occurred in 2017, with the next anticipated in 2045.
During a total solar eclipse, the Moon's positioning causes it to obscure most of the Sun's light, creating an awe-inspiring visual display. Despite the Sun's significantly larger size compared to the Moon, their relative distances from Earth result in a seemingly similar apparent size, facilitating a perfect alignment for an eclipse. This alignment allows the Moon to effectively cover the entire Sun, leaving only its fiery corona visible around the edges. Sharing footage from the ISS, NASA remarked, "Ever seen a total solar eclipse from space? Here is our astronauts’ view from the Space Station."
Renowned NASA scientist and seasoned astronaut Terry Virts, who previously witnessed a solar eclipse from space, shared his experience with USA Week, stating, "When I was in space in 2015, we saw an eclipse over the North Atlantic. It was an eclipse that very few humans saw I think, but it was a really unique experience to look down and just see this big black circle kind of moving across the planet. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I joke I’m glad they told us there was an eclipse because it would have been unsettling to look down at Earth and see this black spot moving across. It was really cool."
This year, NASA Flight Engineers Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps had the privilege of capturing the eclipse's shadow as it traversed the continent.
According to Forbes, the total solar eclipse on April 8 lasted for an impressive 4 minutes and 26 seconds at the Mexico-US border in Texas. This event marked North America's first total solar eclipse in six years, seven months, and 18 days. Some fortunate locales, such as Perryville and Cape Girardeau in Missouri, Paducah in Kentucky, and Carbondale, Du Quoin, Marion, Makanda, Harrisburg, and Metropolis in Illinois, experienced totality twice, witnessing eclipses on both August 21, 2017, and April 8, 2024.
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