Photographing the spacecraft passing by the sun

Shocking photos revealed the Atlantis space shuttle and the Hubble telescope when both were "shadowed" by the sun.

Photographs taken by Thierry Lagault on 12 and 13 May before Atlantis astronauts cling to Hubble thanks to the ship's robotic arms to begin challenging work in space to repair the Hubble telescope for the fifth time and the last time.

The spacecraft flies around the earth at 17,500 miles per hour (about 28,163 km / h) at an altitude of nearly 350 miles (563 km). Both Atlantis and Hubble passed the surface of the sun for about 0.8 seconds, Legault said.

Both looked like two tiny black needles on the sun's large spotless surface. But if we zoom in more we can distinguish it clearly.

In the photo taken on May 12, Atlansis can be clearly identified through the ball. Its nose is directed towards the sun's halo, while the tail and starboard can be clearly distinguished.

On the photo, NASA's Atlantis space shuttle and Hubble Telescope were observed through shadows lying close together when crossing the sun at 12:17 on Wednesday morning, May 13, 2009. Images were observed at the beach Vero sea, Florida state.Both at an altitude of about 600 km, they fly across the sun for only about 0.8 seconds.(Photo: NASA / Thierry Legault)

The photo taken on May 13 also revealed more information. In it, the Legault caught both Atlansis and the Hubble telescope just before the astronauts reached Hubble.Atlansis's abdomen is away from Hubble's upper part, revealing the nose and stern image.

The Hubble telescope is about the size of an unobservable bus, it looks like a black spot facing the sun in the lower right part of the Atlantis. The NASA space shuttle is 122 feet long with a wingspan of 78 feet (24 m). The Hubble telescope is nearly 44 feet long and has a maximum diameter of 14 feet (4 meters).

The sun is going through a quiet period during its 11-year cycle. It is expected to peak in 2013 but only on average.

The Legault took a picture of the Atlantis and Hubble telescope across the sun at Vero Beach, Florida state. The shuttle was launched into space to repair the Hubble telescope on Monday at the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida, to carry out the 11-day Hubble telescope mission. The mission has the goal of extending the Hubble telescope's lifespan until the end of 2014.

NASA's Atlantis Space Shuttle and Hubble Telescope were observed through balls lying close together when crossing the sun at 12:17 am, Wednesday, May 13, 2009. Images were observed at Vero Beach, Florida state.Both at an altitude of about 600 km, they fly across the sun for only about 0.8 seconds.(Photo: NASA / Thierry Legault)

On this enlarged photo, NASA's Atlantis space shuttle is observed through its shadow as it passes through the sun on May 12, 2009 in the state of Florida.The photo was taken before Atlantis and the STS-125 crew reached the Hubble Space Telescope.(Photo: NASA / Thierry Legault)