NASA has released a set of stunning photos showing the recent lunar transit that could only be viewed from space.
In astronomy, a transit occurs when a celestial body moves across another celestial body relative to a specific viewpoint. In the case of a lunar transit, the moon moves across the face of the Sun just like what happens during a solar eclipse. However, a lunar transit simply refers to a solar eclipse that is not visible from the Earth. This specific lunar transit was captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) last Thursday.
The SDO is a NASA observatory sent to space in a mission to gather data about the Sun. It was launched Feb. 11, 2010 and it was able to capture a set of photos last Thursday when the moon moved between the observatory and the Sun over a two and a half hour period.
"On Jan. 30, 2014, beginning at 8:31 a.m EST, the moon moved between NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, and the sun, giving the observatory a view of a partial solar eclipse from space," said NASA in a post on their site. "Such a lunar transit happens two to three times each year. This one lasted two and one half hours, which is the longest ever recorded. When the next one will occur is as of yet unknown due to planned adjustments in SDO's orbit."
Aside from taking photos, the SDO was also able to record video footage of the astronomical event. The observatory was also able to capture a sunspot that scientists have named AR1967 as well as amid-level solar flare. During the lunar transit's peak, the moon appeared to cover up to 90 percent of the sun.
Sunspots and solar flares are fairly regular events that can be observed on the sun's surface by special equipment onboard the SDO. Sunspots are visible dark spots that can be caused by certain parts of the Sun being cooler compared to the surrounding areas. On the other hand, solar flares in particular can be a cause for concern for scientists due to the effects of the radiation that these solar outbursts emit. However, most of the radiation that comes from solar flares is normally deflected by the Earth's electromagnetic field.
