'Round Light Around the Earth'... Total Solar Eclipse Captured on the Moon

Unmanned Spacecraft Developed by U.S. Private Company
Lands on Lunar Surface for the Second Time in History

A total solar eclipse, where the Sun, Earth, and Moon align, was captured not from Earth but from the Moon, drawing significant attention. An unmanned spacecraft developed by a U.S. private company successfully landed on the lunar surface for the second time and captured the moment of the total solar eclipse.

Total solar eclipse captured by Blue Ghost, the probe of US space company Firefly Aerospace. Photo by Firefly Aerospace

On the 15th (local time), U.S. space company Firefly Aerospace released images of the total solar eclipse taken by the probe 'Blue Ghost,' which successfully landed on the Moon's surface on the 2nd.

Launched from Florida, USA, on January 15, Blue Ghost orbited Earth and the Moon for about one and a half months before landing on the Moon at 2:34 a.m. Central Time on the 2nd (5:34 p.m. Korean time). Thirty minutes after landing, Blue Ghost began sending photos taken on the lunar surface.

This is only the second time in history that a private company has sent a spacecraft to the Moon and successfully landed on its surface. Previously, another U.S. space company, Intuitive Machines, landed the 'Nova-C' model 'Odyssey' near the lunar south pole in February last year. However, this was a partial success, as Odyssey's one leg broke during the landing process, causing it to tip over sideways, shortening its lifespan and preventing it from completing its mission.

The total solar eclipse photos taken by Blue Ghost were captured from the Moon during the approximately five-hour total lunar eclipse starting around midnight on the 14th. Firefly emphasized that this is the first time in history that a private probe has photographed a total solar eclipse caused by Earth from the Moon. Notably, it also captured the spectacular sight of Earth completely covering the Sun, creating a circular ring of light around Earth resembling a 'Diamond Ring.' This view cannot be seen from Earth.

The company posted a video on its YouTube channel that connects multiple photos continuously captured by Blue Ghost during the total solar eclipse.

Firefly CEO Jason Kim said, "Everything went like clockwork," adding, "Now we can go to Mars." The spacecraft is scheduled to capture the mysterious lunar horizon glow at sunset on the Moon on the 16th.

As part of a project to send artworks to the Moon, Blue Ghost also carried the poetry collection 'Polaris Trilogy,' which includes eight Korean sijo poems.