Posted on 09/05/2026 12:08:06 PM PDT by MtnClimber
Explanation: Chasing the shadow of a New Moon, NASA’s WB-57F high altitude research aircraft took to the skies off the coast of Iceland on August 12 to observe a total solar eclipse. At 50,000 feet the aircraft was piloted along the precisely determined path of totality to maximize its time in the Moon’s shadow. A suite of high-resolution cameras on board was able to record eclipse data from above the clouds, dust, and atmospheric water vapor that interfere with observations made closer to the ground. This view from the cockpit, taken from an inflight video, captures the solar corona emerging at the beginning of totality. The sky appears dark in the shadow of the Moon. Venus is shining left of center in the video frame, while Jupiter and Mercury are just visible to the right of the eclipsed Sun. But the sky is bright along the distant horizon below, beyond the reach of the Moon's shadow.
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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.
Leaping and hopping in a moon shadow.
🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔
Keep in mind that the aircraft is moving at several hundred miles per hour being bounced around yet the cameras stay focused on the object. Meanwhile my photos are blurry.
My rule of thumb is Military/government tech is often two generations ahead of what is commercially available.
This is NASA, so it may apply...
I’m being followed by a Moon Shadow...
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