NASA's spacecraft captures a unique solar eclipse — a specific 'lunar transit' only visible from space
A partial solar eclipse occurred on Sunday, April 27, 2025, when the moon covered 23% of the Sun. It was not visible from the Earth, but the visual was captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The eclipse, known as a “lunar transit,” happened during the new moon, as shown in visuals shared by Helioviewer.org and SDO. As it was not seen on Earth, the eclipse was not reported before it occurred. The spacecraft recorded the eclipse in various images and reported back to Earth in a few minutes. The moon blocked the Sun up to 23% on Sunday and only 2% on Monday, April 28, 2025.
The images from the spacecraft showed the entire Sun before it was obscured by a dark orb that passed through it. The moon only covered a small portion of the Sun, making it go dark. However, another eclipse will be visible to the satellite in space on May 25, when only 4% of the Sun will be hidden. NASA has scheduled various eclipse views, the next big one on July 25, 2025, with a 62% obscuration. The visibility of an eclipse is always down to the location. The moon always casts a shadow in space, but it is not always visible from the surface of Earth.
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) was launched in February 2010, and this semi-autonomous spacecraft points at the Sun constantly. The process allows the SDO to make constant records of the Sun from continuous observation. Its orbital period matches the Earth's rotation in a geosynchronous orbit, as per Forbes, but when seen from Earth, it appears to be static. Moreover, this eclipse is not the first, but one of many lunar transits that were observed by the spacecraft, and many of them were not visible from Earth's vantage point.
The high-resolution images of the Sun are captured and sent to Earth in real-time. They focus on different wavelengths, sunspots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections. These are meant to help scientists determine fluctuations and shifts in space weather, coordinating safety for space missions. Though it is meant to align in rotation and have a similar view of the moon as the Earth, these unknown eclipses are proof that that is not the case. The eclipse images followed the detailed images of the Sun's corona by the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter spacecraft.
The next solar eclipse for Earth's inhabitants will be a partial obscuration by the moon on September 21, 2025, which only people in Australia, Antarctica, the Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean will see. Moreover, on August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse is expected to take place, which will be visible to people in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, and part of Portugal. On the same day, a partial eclipse can be witnessed across North America, Europe, Africa, and also the oceans of the Arctic, the Atlantic, and the Pacific.
The last eclipse enjoyed by Earth was a total lunar eclipse seen from North and South America, known as the "Blood Moon," as reported by Newsweek. The Earth moved directly between the Sun and the moon, which caused the moon to turn a deep red color. The list of eclipse visuals seen from space is not short, as astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) have had their fair share of amazing sights. It began with the Apollo astronauts seeing the eclipse of the Sun, and then astronauts witnessing the eclipse of darkness on Earth from space. Incredible visuals of space exist beyond the human eye.
