As millions of people gazed up at Monday's total solar eclipse, a small group of earthlings got a unique perspective of the rare event — from the International Space Station.
While orbiting above southeastern Canada, flight engineers Matthews Dominick and Jeanette Epps were able to capture photos and videos of the moon's shadow on Earth approximately 260 miles below them, as reported by NASA on Monday.
The Expedition 71 crew took advantage of the opportunity to witness the moon's shadow on Earth, also known as the umbra, following a day filled with cargo transfers, spacesuit maintenance, and microgravity research, according to NASA. The cupola windows on the space station were open, providing the astronauts with a stunning view of the phenomenon.
During its flyover, the International Space Station experienced approximately 90% totality, and NASA shared a video of the event on social media:
According to NASA, more than 31 million individuals reside in the path of totality, where the moon completely obscured the sun. The path varied in width from 108 to 122 miles. An additional 150 million people live within 200 miles of the path of totality.
As the eclipse approached, the space station crew engaged in a series of tasks on Monday, such as orbital plumbing, repairing science freezers, and conducting ventilation maintenance.
Shortly before the eclipse, NASA shared images captured by its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter of Korea Aerospace Research Institute's Danuri lunar orbiter during a flyby in March.
Both spacecraft, moving in parallel orbits, swiftly passed each other in opposite directions, requiring precise timing for the LRO operations team to position LROC correctly to observe Danuri.
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been orbiting the moon for 15 years, took several images that resemble a cosmic surfboard speeding through space during three orbits when it was in close proximity to Danuri.
