An astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) managed to capture the great view from the lunar eclipse on Monday.
The recent arrival of ISS Samantha Cristoforetti tweeted several photos (below) of a partially eclipsed moon, as seen from the orbital facility about 250 miles above the Earth.
Happy Monday from space! Were you lucky enough to see the lunar eclipse last night? We were! / Good morning dallo spazio! Have you had the fortune to see the ecclesiastical moon of Sera? We are! 🌘 # lunareclipse2022 #MissionMinerva #LunarEclipse pic.twitter.com/RKJ49L4YAX
– Samantha Christophoretti (@AstroSamantha) May 16, 2022
“A partially eclipsed moon playing hide and seek with our solar panel,” Christophoretti wrote in a tweet accompanying the stunning images.
Partially eclipsed Moon playing hide and seek with our solar panel. / Eclissi parziale della luna che gioca a nascondino con il il nostro pannello solare. 🌘 # lunareclipse2022 #BloodMoon #MissionMinerva pic.twitter.com/P7oYFcfTdA
– Samantha Christophoretti (@AstroSamantha) May 16, 2022
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes directly between the sun and the moon, causing our planet to cast a shadow over our nearest celestial neighbor. Partial lunar eclipses, in which only part of the moon is shaded by the Earth, are quite common, but complete eclipses, such as what happened over the weekend, are less common.
The recent total lunar eclipse was best observed in North and South America, although sky watchers in parts of Africa and Europe have also been able to enjoy the phenomenon.
The next total lunar eclipse will occur on November 8, 2022 and will be visible in parts of the United States and Asia, but then the Earthlings will have to wait until May 2025.
Astronaut from the European Space Agency Christophoretti arrived at the space station for a six-month stay on April 26. Her companions on the SpaceX Crew-4 voyage were NASA astronauts Kel Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins.
The four astronauts, along with three others aboard the station, will spend time conducting research in microgravity conditions, conducting space walks to maintain and upgrade the orbital outpost, and assisting in the arrival and departure of spacecraft.
ISS crew will now turn their attention to the arrival of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner, which is preparing for its second test flight on Thursday, May 19, after a failed mission in December 2019. All right, Starliner without crew will contact the space station on Friday for a short stay before returning to Earth in a crucial test mission for Boeing and NASA.
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