GOES-16 and Sentinel-3 satellites documented the April 8 solar eclipse throughout North America, exploring its impact on weather patterns. Credit: ESA, Data: NOAAA overall solar eclipse darkened parts of North America on April 8, with GOES-16 catching the occasion, offering insights into climatic effects.A total solar eclipse swept throughout North America on April 8, obstructing out the Sun for a moment with parts of the continent plunged into darkness. Geostationary satellites orbiting 36,000 km (22,000 miles) away caught images of the uncommon celestial event. These images, captured by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-16), captured the moons shadow crossing North America from approximately 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT (16:00 to 23:00 CEST.)A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth and, for a brief period, blocks the face of the Sun, conserve for a visible ring of light, understood as the Suns corona. The track of the moons shadow across Earths surface, called the path of totality, covered throughout the North American continent– from Mexico to the extremely eastern suggestion of Canada.The GOES series is a collaborative development and acquisition effort in between National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA. The GOES-16 (GOES-East) satellite, the first of the series, supplies continuous imagery and climatic measurements of Earths western hemisphere and keeps track of space weather.A total solar eclipse swept throughout North America on April 8, shutting out the Sun for a little while with parts of the continent plunged into darkness. The Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission recorded pictures of the eclipse with its Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR). This image was acquired at 19:45 CEST (17:45 UTC). Credit: Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2024 ), processed by ESAThe Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission also recorded pictures of the eclipse (see above) with its Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR). The eclipse also serves as a lab for researching what happens to weather when the Moons shadow passes over. The shadow makes air temperatures drop and can cause clouds to develop in different ways. Information from GOES, Sentinel-3, and other satellites are now being utilized to check out these impacts.
