Captured by Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander on March 14, 2025.

  • WoodScientist@lemmy.world
    61·
    2 days ago

    A solar eclipse is when the Moon passes in front of the Sun. In contrast, a lunar eclipse is when the Sun passes in front of the Moon!

    • Hadriscus@jlai.lu
      4·
      1 day ago

      I think a solar eclipse is when anything passes in front of the sun, ie when the sun is eclipsed. We just don’t often see it from the moon

      • ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.orgEnglish
        4·
        20 hours ago

        Yup. You’re basically right, clarification on “anything”:

        • Not the celestial body you’re on (that’s called night)
        • Not a structure on the celestial body you’re on (that’s called being in the shadow)
        • Not an object with too small angular size to cause much dimming, such as Venus or the ISS (that’s called a solar transit)
      • wewbull@feddit.ukEnglish
        22·
        1 day ago

        Indeed. It’s with respect to a viewer. Nothing is eclipsed in this image.

        eclipse /ĭ-klĭps′/

        noun

        1. The partial or complete obscuring, relative to a designated observer, of one celestial body by another.
        2. The period of time during which such an obscuration occurs.
        • square@lemmy.zip
          3·
          21 hours ago

          The earth (one celestial body) is partially obscuring the sun (another celestial body) relative to the Blue Ghost lander (the designated observer).

          It’s an eclipse.

          • wewbull@feddit.ukEnglish
            12·
            16 hours ago

            If you’re on the earth it’s an eclipse. On the moon nothing is between you and the sun, or you and the earth.

            Put another way, an eclipse is only an eclipse from a certain observation point. For example, the crew of Integrity observed a solar eclipse on their way around the moon. The moon was between them and the sun. There was no eclipse for the rest of us on earth.

            • square@lemmy.zip
              2·
              15 hours ago

              Check out Mr. Confidentially Incorrect over here. An eclipse is exactly the definition you posted, I’m not sure how you could read it so wrong.