A tiny Chinese satellite spotted the 2019 total solar eclipse from the moon - Space.com

australiablogsnews.blogspot.com

A tiny Chinese satellite in lunar orbit captured incredible images of a total solar eclipse over South America last year, thanks to commands from radio enthusiasts. 

The images were taken July 2, 2019, with the tiny 'Inory eye' camera, installed on Longjiang 2, a microsatellite developed by a team at Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) in northeast China.

Longjiang 2, also known as DSLWP-B, was launched with a twin in May 2018. The two tiny satellites piggybacked on the mission to launch Queqiao, a communications relay satellite that later facilitated the Chang'e 4 landing on the far side of the moon. The Longjiang program was designed to test a kind of interferometry technique for astronomical observations.

Related: The best photos of the 2019 total solar eclipse
More: What the 2019 total solar eclipse looked like around the web

While Queqiao continued past the moon to fulfil its role, the diminutive 99-lb. (45 kilograms) Longjiang 2 used its own propulsion to slow down and enter lunar orbit. 

Here, the tiny satellite received commands, sent from students at HIT via radio enthusiasts in Europe, instructing the spacecraft to image the moon, Earth and stars.  

Image 1 of 5

(Image credit: Harbin Institute of Technology)

An image from Longjiang 2 of the solar eclipse that crossed over South America on July 2, 2019.

Image 2 of 5

(Image credit: Harbin Institute of Technology)

An image from Longjiang 2 of the solar eclipse that crossed over South America on July 2, 2019.

Image 3 of 5

(Image credit: Harbin Institute of Technology)

An image from Longjiang 2 of the solar eclipse that crossed over South America on July 2, 2019.

Image 4 of 5

(Image credit: Harbin Institute of Technology)

An image from Longjiang 2 of the solar eclipse that crossed over South America on July 2, 2019.

Image 5 of 5

(Image credit: Harbin Institute of Technology)

An image from Longjiang 2 of the solar eclipse that crossed over South America on July 2, 2019.

For the images of the July 2019 eclipse, Reinhard Kühn, an amateur radio astronomer from Sörup, Germany, sent the commands timing the imaging of the eclipse using an antenna in his garden.

Longjiang 2 also carried a Saudi Arabia-built remote-sensing payload as part of the international cooperations surrounding the Chang'e 4 mission. The tiny satellite also returned amazing images of the Earth and moon.

Some of the pictures taken to the moon by DSLWP-B using Saudi Remote Sensing Payload to the moon https://t.co/24rxnqFOjv pic.twitter.com/YDXZbHXD8NAugust 1, 2019

Longjiang 2 ended its mission in August 2019 when it was deliberately crashed into the moon to remove any danger to future lunar missions.

Earlier this month, the team released an animated short film detailing the big returns from the tiny satellite.

Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. 

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Science - Latest - Google News
June 30, 2020 at 02:55AM
https://ift.tt/3igAm7l

A tiny Chinese satellite spotted the 2019 total solar eclipse from the moon - Space.com
Science - Latest - Google News
https://ift.tt/2Kb7H4e
https://ift.tt/3ceUkwc

Bagikan Berita Ini