This photo is from the Japanese lunar probe Kaguya and shows what a lunar eclipse looks like from the vantage point of the moon itself. Just to help you out with the assorted lingo, a “lunar eclipse” occurs when the Earth passes in between the sun and the moon. Here on Earth, we see lunar eclipses as either a small shadow or as a dramatic turn to an amber-red color, depending on whether the eclipse is partial or full:
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In the top photo, the disc of the Earth will completely cover the sun, not unlike the way we see total solar eclipese, except that the Earth is much bigger in the moon’s sky and will totally obscure it for a much longer period.
Astronomer Phil Plait tells you everything you want to know about this photo on his blog, and NASA has this website all about eclipses. We’re not due for a total lunar eclipse at all in 2009, though there will be a partial one on New Year’s Eve. And we will have a total solar eclipse on July 22, but it will only be visible in Southeast Asia.
