LRO and the Lunar Eclipse of April 15, 2014: Telescopic View

  • Released Thursday, April 10, 2014
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Dial-a-Moon

The appearance of the Moon during the lunar eclipse at 10 seconds per frame. Displays LRO's orbit, its view of the Sun, and meters for the amount of sunlight LRO is receiving and the charge of its battery.

Enter a time to see what the moon looked like (or will look like) at that time.

2014-04-15T04:30 ~ 2014-04-15T12:00
Time (UTC)2023-01-01T00:00
Obscuration00.0%
Phase00.0% (0d 0h 0m)
Diameter0000.0 arcseconds
Distance00.0 km (0.00 Earth diameters)
J2000 Right Ascension, Declination0h 0m 0s, 0° 0' 0"
Sub-Solar Longitude, Latitude0.000°, 0.000°
Sub-Earth Longitude, Latitude0.000°, 0.000°
Position Angle0.000°

Typically, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft flies over the night side of the Moon every two hours, spending about 45 minutes in darkness. Because LRO is powered by sunlight, it uses a rechargeable battery to operate while on the night side of the Moon and then charges the battery when it comes back around into daylight.

During the total lunar eclipse of April 15, 2014, however, LRO emerges from the night side of the Moon only to find the Sun blocked by the Earth. LRO needs to travel an entire orbit before seeing the Sun again, relying continuously on its battery for almost three hours, longer than it ever has before.

LRO won’t be in any real danger as long as its power consumption is handled carefully. Its scientific instruments will be turned off temporarily, while vital subsystems like the heater will remain on. LRO will be closely monitored throughout the eclipse.

This animation shows the Moon as it might look through a telescope on Earth, with LRO’s orbit, its view of the Sun, and a fuel gauge showing received sunlight and the battery’s charge.

The appearance of the Moon during the lunar eclipse at 10 seconds per frame. Displays LRO's orbit, its view of the Sun, and meters for the amount of sunlight LRO is receiving and the charge of its battery.

The appearance of the Moon during the lunar eclipse at 10 seconds per frame. Displays LRO's orbit. The frames include an alpha channel.

The appearance of the Moon during the lunar eclipse at 10 seconds per frame. Omits LRO's orbit. The frames include an alpha channel.

LRO's view of the Sun during the eclipse. The view is dark when the Moon is in the way. The frames include an alpha channel.

For More Information

See Lunar Eclipse Gallery

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

This page was originally published on Thursday, April 10, 2014.
This page was last updated on Thursday, January 30, 2025 at 3:17 PM EST.

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