Astronauts' view of eclipse

Fixxxer · 10 Dec 2002 at 08:26

The dark area near the Earth's horizon is the shadow cast by the Moon during the 4 December total solar eclipse. The out-of-focus object at the bottom is the platform's porthole window.

This is the view the new crew on the International Space Station (ISS) got of the recent total solar eclipse.The image, taken out of the porthole of the platform by Don Pettit, clearly shows the Moon's dark shadow, or umbra, on the Earth's surface.The photograph was taken mid-eclipse, when the path of totality was out in the Indian Ocean.Any ships in the more than 60-kilometres-wide (40 miles) path would not have had a very good view of the solar phenomenon: as the picture shows, there was heavy cloud over the region at the time.The out-of-focus object in the foreground is part of the frame for the viewing port.

The instant of greatest eclipse was in the Indian Ocean

The only total solar eclipse of 2002 occurred over southern Africa, the Indian Ocean and Australia on Wednesday, 4 December.It started in the Atlantic Ocean at 0550 GMT and ended in the Australian outback at 0912 GMT.At times, the umbra was moving across the planet's surface at about 18,000 km/h (11,200 mph).The next total eclipse will be over Antarctica next November.Pettit and the other members of the Expedition Six crew - Kenneth Bowersox and Nikolai Budarin - joined the ISS just over a week ago. They will live and work on the orbital platform until at least March.

Big Kev · 10 Dec 2002 at 08:30

That's some superb view, I wonder if the astronauts' realise how damn lucky they are, no other job could ever come close to theirs', everything else would be an anti-climax.

I'd seriously love to stay on the ISS for a while, but my claustrophobia might create a few problems.

rogue66700 · 10 Dec 2002 at 11:07

I'd still rather fly a harrier jump jet though,there's nothin like flying at mach 2.5.

ShadowMan · 10 Dec 2002 at 11:23

Originally posted by rogue66700
I'd still rather fly a harrier jump jet though, there's nothin like flying at mach 2.5

since when was a harrier capable of mach 2.5? has it had some new super upgrade that the rest of us havnt heard of? something like the SRB's from the space shuttle perhaps in replacement for its Pegasus powerplant?

It is a subsonic aircraft - hence it doesnt exceed mach 1.

Tho flying one would still be fun

Biffa · 10 Dec 2002 at 11:27

Thanks

exedanni · 10 Dec 2002 at 12:44

Awesome pic sir! That would have to be one of the largest shadow's ever cast on Earth then?

Berserker · 10 Dec 2002 at 13:02

Originally posted by exedanni
Awesome pic sir! That would have to be one of the largest shadow's ever cast on Earth then?

A (northern hemisphere) summertime eclipse would produce an even larger shadow due to the Sun being closer to the Earth - that's also why the period of totality for this eclipse was relatively short.

Augmented · 10 Dec 2002 at 15:31

That shadow looks really ominous from above, must be frightening to see it moving unerringly across the Earth.
I must admit, when I first saw the picture I was a bit confused as to how the ISS was below clouds... until it occured to be that the pic was, in the conventional sense, upside down!

exedanni · 10 Dec 2002 at 16:19

rogue66700 · 10 Dec 2002 at 16:25

Srry Biffa i for my post apologize, i'll keep my oppinions to myself.