Astronaut on the Space Station captures spectacular images of the solar eclipse

Last Saturday, nearly a billion people across much of the Americas were treated to the sight of one of the most impressive celestial phenomena: a annular solar eclipse.

Social networks were full of spectacular images, mainly of the famous “Ring of Fire”, captured from different points on the continent.

However, an even more incredible perspective was recorded from the International Space Station (ISS), where astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, from NASA, documented the celestial event in a way most of us can only dream of.

What is a solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse is a fascinating astronomical event that occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, casting its shadow over a specific region of the Earth and partially or completely blocking the light solar.

There are three main types of solar eclipses: partial, annular and total. In addition to these, there is a fourth, rarer type, known as a hybrid solar eclipse, which is a combination of the other three types.

• Partial eclipse: This is the most common type, when only a part of the Sun is obscured by the Moon. In this case, the brightness of the day does not change significantly.

• Total eclipse: Here, the Moon completely covers the solar disk, turning the day into total darkness, a sight Amazing.

• Annular eclipse: As happened over the weekend, the Moon covers the Sun, but not completely, leaving a border of visible light around it, the famous “ring of fire”. This happens because the Moon is further away from Earth, making its apparent size smaller than that of the Sun.

The Moon's elliptical orbit around the Earth causes its distance to vary between 356,500 km at perigee (maximum approach) and 406,700 km at apogee. This explains why the Moon's appearance changes during different types of solar eclipses.

A privileged view

While most of us observed the annular solar eclipse from Earth, astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, aboard the International Space Station, enjoyed a unique perspective of the event. She captured stunning images of the “ring of fire”, providing an extraordinary view of the phenomenon from space.

Image: ISS/NASA/reproduction

This spatial record not only demonstrates the beauty of the cosmos, but also reminds us of the incredible achievement of humanity in space exploration and the importance of continuing to investigate and study the universe that fence.

As Earth marveled at the annular solar eclipse, astronaut Moghbeli and her colleagues on the ISS shared this cosmic spectacle with the world, reminding us that, even hundreds of kilometers above the Earth's surface, awe for the universe and its beauty persists.