At the time of the figure (16:40:33 GMT), the total portion of the eclipse has not yet started for the Earth. See figure below representing ISS’s location at maximum eclipse. ISS passes over the western United States and southeastern Canada during this pass. ISS will not see the Moon’s umbra on the Earth’s surface. The predictions are very sensitive to the accuracy of the ISS trajectory so it is vital for the tool to have used the most recent data.ĭuring the first pass through the Moon’s penumbra, ISS will experience a partial solar eclipse with 38.0% of the Sun covered up at maximum. This author can only recommend that if one chooses to use one of these sites, that you frequently check the ground track position predictions for your precise viewing position and adjust accordingly. While TOPO cannot verify the accuracy of either of these websites, they appear to be successful based on the user galleries seen online. However, there are two online calculators that are popular with the ISS transit community, and. TOPO software does not currently calculate ISS transit opportunities across any celestial object. ISS Transits Across the Sun During the Eclipse The following pages will give specific details for each pass. In this example, 43.9% of the Sun is being blocked (obscured) by the Moon. In the bottom right-hand corner, the relative position of the Moon with respect to the Sun is given along with the current obscuration of the Sun by the Moon as viewed from ISS. The outer penumbra shadow (where a partial solar eclipse is seen on Earth) is also shown as a light gray outline. For the example below, the umbra is over southwestern Kentucky and is visible from ISS at a distance of 1709 km. If the umbra shadow on the Earth is also visible from ISS, the distance to the center point is also given. The outline of the Moon’s umbra shadow (where there is no sunlight) is shown at its current position drawn on the Earth’s surface if it is visible as a small black outline. The path that the Moon’s central umbra shadow will follow during the eclipse is drawn by the solid black line that crosses from the Pacific Ocean, across the United States from Oregon to South Carolina, and out over the Atlantic Ocean. The portion of the Earth that ISS can see from its vantage point in orbit is marked by the red dotted circular region. ISS’s orbit around the Earth is represented by a solid red circle with ISS’s current position marked and labeled as “ISS”. This particular example figure shows the view of the Earth from the Sun’s perspective at 18:23:56 GMT on 21-August. An example graphic figure is shown on the next page with a description of some of the features depicted.Īn example figure of a pass is shown below. ISS will not pass through the Moon’s umbra and therefore will not experience a total solar eclipse from orbit.įor each pass, a general description of each pass, a table of event times, and one or more figures are shown of the location of ISS at the mid-point of each pass. While TOPO does not have software specifically designed to calculate ISS transits, some general guidance on ISS solar transits is given.ĭuring this eclipse, ISS will pass through the Moon’s penumbra shadow three times, experiencing a partial solar eclipse from its point of view each time. There has also been interest in knowing where on the ground one may witness the ISS transit the sun during the partial or total phases of the eclipse. TOPO has supplied the ISS trajectory and the Moon’s umbra time history to POINTING for them to determine the best windows for viewing the eclipse directly or the Moon’s shadow on the Earth’s surface as well as option for viewing the eclipse directly. ISS crew visibility with respect to ISS structural blockage is not taken into account. This write-up outlines the general visibility of the eclipse viewed from ISS’s perspective, including whether or not the Moon’s central umbra shadow is visible on the Earth’s surface. There has been interest in what ISS will be able to view of this event. On August 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will occur with the path of totality cutting across the lower 48 states from Oregon to South Carolina.
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