Solar and lunar eclipses are rare celestial events hosted by our skies. Every year, space enthusiasts eagerly wait for news about when the next eclipse will occur and where it will be visible from. It’s the kind of event that inspires outings with telescopes and cameras, in which people spend hours gazing up at the skies.
This September 13, a partial solar eclipse, where the moon appeared to take a bite of the sun, was visible from South Africa, Antarctica and the Southern Indian Ocean. Following the blood moon, the event marks the second solar eclipse of this year; from Antarctica, the sun was 79% covered at the highest point of the eclipse, while while Cape Town witnessed about 43% coverage.
A Different Kind of Unique Event
On September 14th, a similar event took place as NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory was routinely capturing images of the sun. The Observatory is not a stranger to eclipses; in fact, it sees dozens of Earth/Moon transits each year. This past Sunday, however, the Earth and the Moon moved past the sun in tandem, producing what may well be the greatest photobomb in recorded history. This is the first time they’ve coincided and been recorded doing so.
Photo Courtesy of NASA
Where’s the Footage of the Moon and Sun Photobomb?
The space agency recently posted a video of the event, which shows the moon transiting into the frame and the Earth blocking the observatory’s view completely. When the Earth (indicated by the fuzzy outline of its atmosphere, as opposed to the sharpness of the moon’s silhouette) does exit the frame, the very end of the moon is also caught heading out of the picture by the observatory.
The Solar Dynamics Observatory was launched in 2010, and its mission is to study solar activity in order to help researchers and scientists better comprehend how changes of the sun impact Earth, and the solar system. Its view of the Sun is mostly uninterrupted, save for Sunday’s extraordinary event.
The full video by NASA can be viewed here.
