Hubble Observes the Total Lunar Eclipse (Artist’s Impression)
Taking advantage of a total lunar eclipse in January 2019, astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have measured the amount of ozone in Earth’s atmosphere. This method serves as a proxy for how they will observe earthlike planets around other stars in search of life.
Our planet’s perfect alignment with the Sun and Moon during a total lunar eclipse mimics the geometry of a transiting terrestrial planet in front of its star. In a new study, Hubble did not look at Earth directly. Instead, astronomers used the Moon as a mirror to reflect the sunlight, which was then captured by Hubble.
This is the first time ultraviolet light passing through Earth’s atmosphere was observed from space and the first time a total lunar eclipse was captured from a space telescope.
Credit:ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser
About the Video
Id: | heic2013c |
Release date: | 6 August 2020, 16:00 |
Related releases: | heic2013 |
Duration: | 16 s |
Frame rate: | 25 fps |
About the Object
Name: | Moon |
Type: | Solar System : Sky Phenomenon : Eclipse : Lunar : Total |
Category: | Solar System |