2026-08-25
Earth's Shadow Visualized with Lunar Eclipses
The universe showed off again today: Earth's Shadow Visualized with Lunar Eclipses. Here is what NASA captured:
Why this matters
Behind the picture is the Moon, solar activity, the night sky. Light that left these objects long ago is only reaching us now, which is why a single image can double as a snapshot of the distant past.
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The science, from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day
What’s creating this giant hole in space? This is not a black hole — it’s a shadow. It’s Earth’s shadow. Since at least the time of Aristotle, people have noted that Earth's dark shadow on the Moon during a partial lunar eclipse is circular -- although never a whole circle. Using modern digital technology, though, the images of multiple lunar eclipses can be combined to show Earth's complete shadow. The featured image compilation by a perseistent astrophotographer is constructed from 22 years of lunar eclipses. The Moon is not eclipsed every month (moon-th) because the Moon's orbit is slightly tilted relative to Earth's orbit. Close inspection of some lunar eclipse images shows a faint blue band where Earth’s atmosphere filters out more red sunlight than blue. Later this week, a new lunar eclipse will occur and will be best visible in parts of North and South America, Europe, and Africa. APOD's main NASA site is moving : From apod.nasa.gov to science.nasa.gov/apod
Image credit: Tim Martin · Source: NASA APOD
More from the Space Journal
- Chasing the Moon's Shadow2026-09-05
- The Eclipse and the Stork2026-09-03
- Solar Eclipses and Culture2026-09-02
- Time-Lapse of the Star S301 Orbiting the Black Hole in the Center of the Galaxy2026-08-21
- Launch of the Roman Space Telescope2026-08-31
- LDN 1295: The Giraffe Nebula2026-09-10
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