These images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory show the Moon's path across the Sun on July 25, 2025. (Image credit: NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams)
A near-Earth spacecraft has just witnessed a rare event: a lunar transit and an eclipse of the Earth on the same day.
On July 25, at different times, the Moon and Earth crossed the line between NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Sun.
SDO studies solar activity, including the solar wind (a stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun), solar flares, and changes in the Sun's magnetic field. This data helps scientists predict solar activity that could impact Earth. The spacecraft was launched in February 2010 and has been observing the Sun almost continuously since May of that year.
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To keep an eye on the Sun, SDO is in geosynchronous orbit around Earth, meaning it completes one orbit around the planet every day. Its orbit is tilted relative to Earth's axis of rotation, allowing the planet to keep its observations out of the way. This means it usually sees the Sun.
Sometimes, however, the Moon blocks that view. Several times a year, the Moon partially eclipses the Sun from SDO's perspective. According to the SDO blog, the July 25 Moon transit, which began at about 2:45 UTC, was SDO's fourth partial eclipse since April. It was also the deepest
Sourse: www.livescience.com
