Once in a blue moon shot! Astrophotographer captures stunning photo of International Space Station as it passes on the lunar surface
- The orbiting space science lab had been reoriented for a spacewalk
- An astrophotographer captured the image of the ISS in Sacramento, California
- The image shows the ISS transiting the moon early Monday morning
A stunning image of the International Space Station against the backdrop of the moon was captured as its astronauts prepared for a spacewalk.
The orbiting science lab had been reoriented to allow astronauts Kate Rubins and Victor Glover to go out and prepare solar arrays for future updates.
Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy captured the image of the station, which orbits 400 km above the Earth, while on a road in Sacramento, California.
This rare photo of the reoriented view of the station, captured on Monday at about 10:44 GMT, “instantly became one of my favorite catches,” McCarthy explained.
The International Space Station is captured on camera in a super-rare photo – because the spacecraft was illuminated for a split second as it passed in front of the moon
NASA astronaut Kate Rubins is photographed during a space passage to install solar panel modification kits on the space station on Sunday, February 28
What made this image remarkable was the orientation of the ISS when it was taken and the “second” accuracy of McCarthy who captured the laboratory in orbit as it stepped on the Copernicus crater on the moon – before disappearing.
This lunar impact crater is visible with binoculars slightly northwest of the center of the lunar hemisphere facing the Earth.
The solar panels that usually extend to each side of the station have been seen changing at different angles due to the spatial gait, adding the uniqueness of the photo.
In its normal orientation, the eight solar grids are fully stretched to collect energy from the sun, but during a spacewalk, they are sometimes realigned.
McCarthy said the image instantly became a favorite of the many photos he captures daily in the night sky.
“This is due to the novelty of capturing a spacecraft from Earth, but especially since we could clearly see the reconfiguration of the solar network due to a mission broadcast live from NASA,” he explained.
“This is one of the rare times when you can notice changes in structure due to an easy mission on Earth.
“In this image, you can see how the solar array has been reoriented so that the ISS crew can install new hardware.”
British astronaut Tim Peake responded to the image post on Twitter, saying, “Congratulations on receiving such a fantastic photo of my old house!”
The photo was taken on the side of the road in Sacramento, California, chosen because it was a clear sky where McCarthy could capture the ISS following a path through the moon.
“But I did not expect to receive this rare and rare blow of a mission that is happening over our heads.
McCarthy said the image instantly became a favorite of the many photos he captures daily in the night sky.
And to top it all off, in the ISS photo I happen to step on my favorite lunar crater, Copernicus. What a world.
He added: “At 2:44 this morning, I positioned myself so that the ISS would pass between the moon and me to get this picture. What I didn’t expect was that the ISS would look so different than usual.
For space travel, which led to the new look of the ISS, Glover and Rubins continued the work of modernizing the power systems, which are slowly degrading over time.
British astronaut Tim Peake responded to the post about the image on Twitter to describe it as “a fantastic photo of my old house.”
Their work lasted seven hours and four minutes on Sunday, February 28, between 11:12 and 18:16 GMT – all broadcast live by NASA.
ISS has eight solar grid wings, each designed to produce a total power of 250kW, and the oldest was launched in 2000, the most recent in 2009 – all by space shuttles now gone.
They work well, but degradingly, because they were designed to have a lifespan of 15 years – and the older ones are now 21 years old. The new solar arrays will be placed in front of the old ones at the end of this year, launching on a SpaceX vehicle in June.
The next space passage will see Rubins pair up with Soichi Noguchi of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency to complete several updates to the solar network.