Spacecraft capture solar eclipse's Earthly effect

Spacecraft capture solar eclipse’s Earthly effect
Series of images from the Japanese MTSAT satellite showing a shadow on Earth during the total solar eclipse on November 13/14. 2012. Credit: JAXA

A Japanese meteorology satellite captured the moving shadow from the total solar eclipse this week, and this animated series of images shows the shadow moving east-southeast across northeastern Australia and into the waters of the South Pacific Ocean. The images were taken by the MTSAT-1R in the 0.7 micrometer visible channel, as the Moon moved between the Sun and the Earth, blocking the Sun's light.

The solar eclipse shadow was also visible from an image taken by the Korean COMS-1 satellite, and one of the GOES satellites operated by NASA and NOAA, seen below.

Spacecraft capture solar eclipse’s Earthly effect
Image taken from the Korean COMS-1 satellite during the total solar eclipse on November 13/14. 2012.

Starting just after dawn in Australia, the eclipse cast a 150-kilometer (95-mile) shadow in Australia's Northern Territory, crossed the northeast tip of the country and moved out across the South Pacific. As this was a , the Moon completely covered the Sun, with just the Sun's corona peeking out around the rim; totality lasted about 2 minutes. A partial eclipse was visible from east Indonesia, the eastern half of Australia, New Zealand, and southern parts of Chile and Argentina.

Spacecraft capture solar eclipse’s Earthly effect
Image from the GOES-15 satellite showing the eclipse’s shadow on Earth. Credit: NASA/NOAA

More information: See Universetoday's gallery of images from people on the ground in Australia during the eclipse.

Via: University of Wisconsin-Madinson/CIMSS

Source: Universe Today

Citation: Spacecraft capture solar eclipse's Earthly effect (2012, November 16) retrieved 18 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2012-11-spacecraft-capture-solar-eclipse-earthly.html
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