"Chasing a lunar eclipse": Roscosmos and Astro Night will send planes to observe a rare astronomical phenomenon
On September 7, 2025 , a unique expedition will take to the skies over Russia: up to eight planes will take off from the Moscow airport. Vnukovo‑3 to the North The Urals, to meet the peak of the lunar eclipse at a point above the Arctic Circle . The organizer of the unusual astro flight is the Astro Night project with the support of Roscosmos State Corporation.
The main purpose of the flight is to observe a total lunar
eclipse, during which the Earth's satellite acquires a characteristic reddish
hue. But the surprises don't end there. The organizers expect that in
the event of a geomagnetic disturbance, passengers on the opposite side of the eclipse
will be able to see another rare phenomenon — the Aurora borealis.
Thus, it will be possible to observe two impressive
space events from one aircraft at once.
The main board of the expedition will be accompanied by legendary popularizers of astronomy: Candidate of Physico‑Mathematical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Physics of Moscow State University Vladimir Surdin and the " eclipse chaser" Stanislav Korotky. An active cosmonaut will also take part in the flight, who will share with the guests how space phenomena look from aboard the International Space Station.
Astro Night is a series of aerial expeditions to
observe rare astronomical phenomena. The project brings together scientists,
astronauts, entrepreneurs and everyone who is passionate about space. Among the ambassadors
— Hero of Russia, cosmonaut commander Oleg Kononenko, test cosmonaut Andrey Babkin, astrophysicist Boris Stern and other
famous scientists.
In 2026, the project became a finalist for the Bema award in
the nomination "Development of domestic tourism through event Marketing". Partners
Astro Night is performed by Roscosmos, AZUR Air and Gazprom Avia airlines.
Details about the upcoming flight, flight program and
tickets are available on the official website of the project.