An astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) managed to photograph the awesome sight of Monday’s lunar eclipse.
Recent ISS arrival Samantha Cristoforetti tweeted several photos (below) of a partially eclipsed moon, as seen from the orbital facility about 250 miles above Earth.
Happy Monday from space! Were you lucky enough to be able to see the lunar eclipse last night? We were! / Buon lunedì dallo spazio! Avete avuto la fortuna di vedere l'eclissi lunare di ieri sera? Noi sì! 🌘#lunareclipse2022 #MissionMinerva #LunarEclipse pic.twitter.com/RKJ49L4YAX
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) May 16, 2022
“A partially eclipsed moon playing hide-and-seek with our solar panel,” Cristoforetti wrote in a tweet accompanying the stunning images.
A partially eclipsed Moon playing hide-and-seek with our solar panel. / Eclissi parziale della luna che gioca a nascondino con il nostro pannello solare. 🌘 #lunareclipse2022 #BloodMoon #MissionMinerva pic.twitter.com/P7oYFcfTdA
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) May 16, 2022
A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth comes directly between the sun and the moon, causing our planet to cast a shadow over our nearest celestial neighbor. Partial lunar eclipses, where only part of the moon is shadowed by Earth, are quite common, but full ones, like the one that occurred at the weekend, occur less frequently.
The recent total lunar eclipse was best viewed from the Americas, though skywatchers in parts of Africa and Europe were also able to enjoy the phenomenon.
The next total lunar eclipse will occur on November 8, 2022, and will be visible in parts of the U.S. and Asia, but after that earthlings will have to wait until May 2025.
European Space Agency astronaut Cristoforetti arrived at the space station for a six-month stay on April 26. Her SpaceX Crew-4 travel companions comprised NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins.
The four astronauts, along with three others aboard the station, will spend their time carrying out scientific research in microgravity conditions, conducting spacewalks to maintain and upgrade the orbital outpost, and supporting spacecraft arrivals and departures.
The ISS crewmembers will now be turning their attention to the arrival of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, which is gearing up for its second test flight on Thursday, May 19, following a failed mission in December 2019. All being well, the crewless Starliner will dock with the space station on Friday for a short stay before returning to Earth in what is a crucial test mission for Boeing and NASA.
