NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Catches Lunar Freeze Frame

On the evening of March 6, 2019, the Moon started to transit the Sun, then doubled back and retraced its steps in the other direction — at least, that's what it looked like from the perspective of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, in orbit around Earth. The relative speeds and positions of the Moon, the Sun and NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory resulted in this unusual lunar transit where the Moon appears to pause and reverse course. This lunar transit lasted about four hours, from 5 p.m. to 9:07 p.m. EST, and, at peak, the Moon covered 82 percent of the Sun's face. Read