NASA's Lucy Observed A Lunar Eclipse At 64 Million Miles

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NASA's Lucy spacecraft observed the total lunar eclipse from a unique vantage point on May 15-16, 2022 At that time, it was 64 million miles (100 million kilometers) from the earth, almost 70% of the distance between the earth and the sun. Using its high-resolution panchromatic camera l'lorri, Lucy was able to observe the shadows cast by the earth on the moon.

At this distance, the earth and the moon are only 0.2 degrees away from Lucy, the same distance as looking at the taillights from a quarter of a mile (400 meters).

As can be seen in the moving picture above, the earth is on the left (its rotation is clearly visible), while the moon (on the right, its brightness is increased six times to increase its visibility) disappears from view when entering the shadow of the earth. This video covers nearly three hours, from 9:40 p.m. EST on May 15 to 12:30 a.m. EST on May 16. The observation ended before the moon emerged from the shadow.

The Lucy spacecraft was launched in October 2021. At present, it is returning to the earth for gravity assistance on October 16 this year to promote its journey to the Trojan asteroid.

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