Image credit:
Firefly Aerospace
Call it “Operation Solar Eclipse”… but on the Moon!
That’s what Firefly Aerospace has dubbed it, making use of their recently landed Blue Ghost lunar lander.
On March 14, Blue Ghost will witness a rare eclipse from the Moon.
“This marks the first time in history a commercial company will be actively operating on the Moon and able to observe a total solar eclipse where the Earth blocks the sun and casts a shadow on the lunar surface,” explains the company.
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander safely touched down in the eastern part of the Moon’s Mare Crisium.
Image credit: ASU/NASA GSFC
Totality
The eclipse will last nearly 5 hours starting at 12 am Central Standard (Texas) Time through 4:52 am CST at Firefly’s landing site in Mare Crisium.
That time period includes roughly 2 hours and 16 minutes of totality, starting at 1:18 am CST.
“Although not a mission requirement, Firefly hopes to image the eclipse and potentially operate NASA instruments to measure changes in the lunar environment from our unique vantage point on the Moon,” adds a company update.
Glowing ring of sunlight
Blue Ghost will witness a glowing ring of sunlight when the Earth blocks the Sun above the Moon’s horizon.
“This ring may also appear red as the sunlight refracts through the Earth’s atmosphere. Firefly aims to capture this with a wide-lens camera on Blue Ghost’s top deck,” they explain, “so the glowing ring will likely appear fairly small in the distance, similar to the size of Earth captured below by Blue Ghost upon landing on the Moon.”
Image credit: Firefly Aerospace
Capturing this footage means that the Blue Ghost lander needs to rely on its batteries for power – rather than its solar panels. While a challenge, “we hope to capture this incredible phenomenon and share it with the world. Stay tuned!”