On June 29, the spacecraft took off the Moon, covering its view of the Sun. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the solar eclipse from its unique vantage point in space – the only place where this eclipse was visible.
“At the peak of the eclipse, the Moon covered 67% of the Sun. There were even noticeable lunar mountains illuminated by sunlight”, writes SpaceWeather.
Solar Dynamics Observatory usually considers the Sun as a source of space weather or radiation in space affecting the Earth. The aspects studied include the Sun’s magnetic field, sunspots, and other aspects affecting activity during the regular 11-year solar cycle.
“SDO studies how solar activity is created and affects space weather. The spacecraft’s measurement of the inner part of the Sun, the atmosphere, the magnetic field and the output energy helps us to better understand the star next to which we live,” explained NASA.
Solar Dynamics Observatory
The Solar Dynamics Observatory was launched in February 2010 and is part of the NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) solar spacecraft network. The Sun has been quite active lately, which was unusually early for a cycle that should peak around 2025.
Scientists are interested in tracing the history of the appearance of solar flares and associated coronal emissions of charged particles that can cause colorful auroras in the Earth’s atmosphere. Such solar flares are usually harmless, but strong storms can disable satellites, power lines and other infrastructure, so scientists are very interested in predicting such phenomena.
Recall that the NASA probe captured a lunar eclipse from a distance of 100 million km.
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