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(Image credit: NOAA/CIRA/RAMMSB )
FAST FACTS
Where is it? The United States and Canada
What’s in the video? The moon’s shadow, or umbra, passing over the continent
Which satellite took the video? GOES-16
When was it taken? April 8, 2024
This striking satellite video reveals the moon’s shadow racing throughout North America at more than 1,500 miles per hour (2,400 km/h)throughout 2024’s historical overall solar eclipse, when a number of special phenomena were observed as day briefly turned to night.
On April 8 in 2015, 10s of countless individuals in the U.S., Canada and Mexico appreciated the skies to see the moon momentarily shut out our home star. Throughout the occasion, totality– the duration in which the sun is entirely obscured– lasted as much as 4 minutes and 28 secondsdepending upon the audience’s place. This was the very first overall solar eclipse noticeable from the continent because 2017however the longest totality there for 54 years
From area, the darkest part of the moon’s shadow, or umbra, gradually swept throughout the continent from western Mexico to eastern Canada over approximately 4 hours, enabling satellites and astronauts to snap some sensational shots of the occasion.
NOAA’s 16th Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-16) was among these orbital observers. This spacecraft is geostationary, implying that it orbits Earth at the exact same speed as the world spins, permitting it to view one part of Earth from a set position. From its perspective around 22,300 miles (36,000 kilometers) above North America, the satellite caught countless images that were later on digitally sewn together into the time-lapse video above.
Related: See all the very best pictures of Earth from area
ISS astronauts photographed the shadow as it passed from New York state into Newfoundland, Canada. (Image credit: NASA)
Pictures from other spacecraft likewise offered alternative point of views of the sweeping shadow.
NASA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR )caught video of the shadow crossing the world from its position, approximately 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) from Earth. And astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) likewise snapped up-close pictures of the shadow from around 260 miles (418 kilometers) above our world’s surface area.
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A special occasion
Numerous odd phenomena can happen throughout an overall solar eclipse, and 2024 was no exception.
Lots of observers found pink or red areas around the sun’s obscured disc. Some individuals incorrectly presumed that these were solar flares blowing up from the sun. Professionals later on exposed that these were solar prominences– plasma plumes that tower above the sun however do not take off outside.
On the very same day as the eclipse, astronomers likewise found a small sungrazer comet dive-bombing towards the sunThe freshly spotted things was then photographed throughout totality, before it was damaged by our home star simply a couple of hours later on.
NASA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR)likewise saw the moons watch race throughout North America from around 1 million miles away. (Image credit: NASA/GOES/Earth Observatory)
Among the most strange results observed was a subtle shift in worldwide time signals sent out and gotten by interaction centers throughout North America as the sun’s shadow cooled the upper environment, somewhat changing how radio signals bounced off this part of our world. The modifications were too little to affect any time-keeping gadgets.
Numerous other uncommon things were seen throughout totalityconsisting of vanishing cloudsdaytime-visible worlds, modifications to color understanding and optical impacts around the sun as seen from Earth, such as “Baily’s beads” and “diamond rings.” Some wild and captive animals likewise seemed puzzled as the skies turned dark.
The world’s next overall solar eclipse will happen on Aug. 12, 2026 and will be most noticeable from parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain.
Harry is a U.K.-based senior personnel author at Live Science. He studied marine biology at the University of Exeter before training to end up being a reporter. He covers a vast array of subjects consisting of area expedition, planetary science, area weather condition, environment modification, animal habits and paleontology. His current deal with the solar optimum won “best space submission” at the 2024 Aerospace Media Awards and was shortlisted in the “top scoop” classification at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence in 2023. He likewise composes Live Science’s weekly Earth from area series.
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