Be sure to extend a friendly hand toward the moon as the eclipse makes history. NASA wants to snap your picture.
The LRO snapped this photo of Earth during the 2012 solar eclipse.
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) will turns its eyes from the moon and instead aim its camera at Earth during Monday’s eclipse, so the space agency wants you to say «hi» to the distant spacecraft.
The LRO will snap a portrait of Earth around 11: 25 a.m. PT, so be sure to set an alert on your calendar. NASA’s LRO team member Andrea Jones notes that you don’t have to be in the path of totality to participate, saying «everyone in an entire hemisphere of the Earth can wave at the Moon as LRO takes our picture.»
The LRO’s camera will again get a great look at the Earth’s surface features today, but it doesn’t have the resolution to make out individual people. It’s the thought that counts, though. With millions able to witness the eclipse, the moon-wave is all about bringing us together for a shared experience at a moment in history.
