{"id":558802,"date":"2026-04-30T14:10:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T14:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/558802\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T14:10:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T14:10:09","slug":"seeing-an-eclipse-from-earth-is-awe-inspiring-for-astronauts-seeing-one-from-space-the-scene-was-even-more-grand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/558802\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeing an eclipse from Earth is awe-inspiring \u2013 for astronauts seeing one from space, the scene was even more grand"},"content":{"rendered":"

The astronauts on Artemis II\u2019s<\/a> trip to the Moon in April 2026 didn\u2019t just have an amazing journey through space. They also saw something extraordinary. They were the first humans to see a total solar eclipse<\/a> from space. <\/p>\n

A solar eclipse<\/a> happens when the Moon moves in front of the Sun. In a total eclipse, the Sun\u2019s central disc is covered completely<\/a>.<\/p>\n

From Earth, the circle of the Sun is about the same size<\/a> as the circle of the Moon. With the bright circle blocked, you can see the undulating rays of the Sun\u2019s corona<\/a>, or outer atmosphere, that are normally too dim to be observed.<\/p>\n

\"Moon<\/a><\/p>\n

Composite image of moments before, during and after totality.
\n NASA\/Aubrey Gemignani<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m a cultural anthropologist<\/a> who studies awe-inspiring aspects of space exploration<\/a>. I have been lucky enough to have seen two total solar eclipses. The first one was in Nebraska in 2017, the second in Indiana in 2024.<\/p>\n

During my second total eclipse, the period of totality \u2013 that short span when you can remove your protective glasses and look directly at the eclipse \u2013 lasted close to 4 minutes. I saw waves of diffuse light snaking around an ink-black hole in the sky. It looked very wrong \u2013 almost alien. <\/p>\n

On Aug. 12, 2026, there will be another total solar eclipse<\/a>, visible only from Greenland, Iceland, Spain and the Balearic Islands of the Mediterranean. Some fortunate viewers in Spain and nearby islands may see the eclipse just before sunset, low on the horizon<\/a>. The Moon illusion<\/a>, a phenomenon where the Moon looks bigger when it\u2019s near the horizon, might make this eclipse look unusually large.<\/p>\n

Unusual eclipse perspectives<\/p>\n

Astronauts will occasionally also have less common eclipse experiences. I interviewed one I call by the pseudonym<\/a> \u201cJackie\u201d in my research about astronauts\u2019 experiences of awe. She was part of an astronaut training group that did a flight exercise during a total solar eclipse. <\/p>\n

Jackie and her squad flew their jets in the shadow of the Moon. This lengthened their time in totality because they could follow and stay within the shadow. Jackie was most impressed with how the Sun\u2019s corona seemed to shift and ripple. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not static \u2026 it\u2019s alive,\u201d she told me.<\/p>\n

On April 6, 2026, the astronauts of NASA\u2019s Artemis II mission saw another kind of unusual eclipse as they flew around the Moon<\/a>. At one point during their flight, the Moon and the spacecraft aligned so that the Moon was directly between them and the Sun, blocking the Sun\u2019s disk in a way that looks very different from what we see on Earth.<\/p>\n

Astronaut Victor Glover said it felt like they \u201cjust went sci-fi<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u2018An impressive sight\u2019: The Artemis II crew were the first humans to observe a solar eclipse from near the Moon.<\/p>\n

The astronauts were so close to the Moon that the Moon looked bigger than the Sun and hid more of its bright circle. Earth was also in view, and sunlight reflected from the Earth onto the Moon in a phenomenon NASA calls \u201cearthshine<\/a>.\u201d This dim light is very similar to the moonlight that shines on the Earth at night. <\/p>\n

Imagine the Sun hidden behind the Moon<\/a>, creating a hazy halo around the Moon\u2019s edges. At the same time, faint light reflected from Earth softly illuminates the Moon, revealing mountains and craters in a dim twilight. Now imagine this striking scene<\/a> lasting 54 minutes.<\/p>\n

This sight was, without a doubt, one of the most unusual eclipses ever seen by human eyes.<\/p>\n

Although Artemis\u2019 astronauts are trained to think scientifically, this experience propelled them into a state of awe. They talked openly about how their brains were \u201cnot processing<\/a>\u201d what they observed. While NASA kept them busy with a variety of tasks, the sound of emotion and excitement in their voices as they broadcast live from their lunar flyby was unmistakable.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a><\/p>\n

The Moon during a solar eclipse on April 6, 2026, photographed by one of the Orion spacecraft\u2019s cameras during Artemis II. Earth is reflecting sunlight at the left edge of the Moon, called \u2018earthshine.\u2019
\n NASA<\/a><\/p>\n

The psychology of awe<\/p>\n

Researchers have studied the effects of awe on the human brain<\/a>, including awe felt during solar eclipses<\/a>. Moments of wonder like these can transform how you feel and even how you think, making you more thoughtful and open-minded. <\/p>\n

In my own work I\u2019ve found these experiences can change how astronauts understand their own place in the universe<\/a>. <\/p>\n

One astronaut said she gained an awareness of the fragility of our planet that now shapes everything she does, while another described becoming more curious after returning to Earth. A third said the awe he experienced in lunar orbit changed his understanding of time and infinity. <\/p>\n

Space travel creates many opportunities for awe, but a solar eclipse from behind the Moon, as Mission Commander Reid Wiseman put it, required \u201c20 new superlatives<\/a>.\u201d <\/p>\n

It\u2019s an experience most of the earthbound eclipse-chasers<\/a> heading to Greenland or Iceland or Spain this summer will only dream about. Whether eclipses happen in space or on Earth, though, close encounters with the grandeur of our universe can make you feel profoundly human.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The astronauts on Artemis II\u2019s trip to the Moon in April 2026 didn\u2019t just have an amazing journey…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":558803,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[90,416,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-558802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-science","tag-space","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=558802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/558803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=558802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=558802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=558802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}