Photo of Earth when eclipse occurred from the Moon

In the image recorded by Chinese satellites, the surface of the Earth appears as a black area, which is shaded by the Moon.

Long Giang 2 , a small satellite built by the Harbin Institute of Technology, photographed the Earth when it had a total solar eclipse on July 2. Long Giang 2 weighs 47kg, was launched into space with Cau O Ruan satellite on 21/5/2018 and entered the Moon's orbit after 4 days.

Earth hidden behind the Moon in photos of Long Jiang 2. (Photo: Caixin Global).

Satellite is equipped with ultra-small CMOS camera, weighs only 20g, easy to operate and can take short distances, according to research team at Harbin Institute of Technology. Since using the auto exposure mode, the camera's view area must have a Moon angle to adjust the exposure accordingly.

When the solar eclipse takes place, Long Giang 2 is flying through the dark areas of the Moon. In a few minutes before and after the Moon between the Earth and the Sun, all conditions are suitable for taking photos.

The black area appears because the Moon shines on the Earth.(Photo: Caixin Global).

The team collaborated with amateur radio station operators in Spain and Germany to capture and receive photos. 4 photos taken by Long Giang 2 when the solar eclipse was sent to Earth on July 3.

In the picture, the shadow of the Moon can be seen on Earth. If you look at an eclipse from Earth, the people in the darkest part of the shade can see the total solar eclipse, while standing in the gray area will only see a partial eclipse.

Long Jiang 2 is scheduled to end the mission by the end of July. To avoid becoming cosmic garbage, the satellite will be driven to crash into the Moon after stopping operation.