Blue Ghost Captures Haunting Lunar Eclipse as Earth Shadows Sun from the Moon’s Surface

This week’s lunar eclipse provided Earth-based skywatchers with a stunning view of a red-tinged moon. But thanks to Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander, we’ve now gained a unique perspective of the event — from the Moon itself. On March 14, the eclipse manifested as a solar eclipse for the lander, as Earth passed directly in front of the Sun, temporarily casting a shadow on the lunar surface.

Blue Ghost Captures Stunning Red-Hued Eclipse, Revealing Venus and Mercury in Footage

Blue Ghost captured a fascinating series of images showing the eerie red light that spread across its deck during the eclipse. The red hue was caused by sunlight refracting through Earth’s atmosphere as our planet blocked the Sun, creating a reddish shadow over the lunar surface. Firefly compiled these images — taken rapidly with various exposure settings — into a short video clip that highlights the gradual changes in lighting during the event.

In the early frames of the video, before the eclipse reaches its peak, bright celestial bodies become visible. Venus appears as a prominent dot above the eclipse, while Mercury is visible just to its left, though it requires a closer look. These small but striking details add scientific and visual richness to the footage captured by Blue Ghost.

Blue Ghost’s Final Days: Capturing Rare Lunar Views Before Darkness Descends on Moon

Blue Ghost touched down on the Moon on March 2 and has since been delivering a series of impressive visual updates from the lunar surface. Notably, it also captured its own landing from its onboard cameras, offering a spacecraft’s-eye view of descent. These contributions have offered unprecedented perspectives for both scientists and space enthusiasts.

As Blue Ghost’s mission nears its conclusion with the arrival of the harsh lunar night, the lander is set to capture one last phenomenon — the lunar sunset on March 16. The mission has already provided significant insights and rare visuals, and its concluding observations are expected to further enrich our understanding of lunar conditions and eclipses from beyond Earth.