Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Pi in the sky! 🥧
The total lunar eclipse happened to fall on a very special day for math fans everywhere: Pi Day! We celebrated by watching Earth's shadow take a big bite out of the Moon overnight. Now, learn about how pi (the math kind) helps us study the universe around us.
Happy Pi Day!
Video description:
0:00 Three stacked images, labeled Rover Wheels, Spacecraft Orbits, and Exoplanet Hunting.
0:04 A series of concentric circles, interlocked with strings of lights.
0:05 A circle is drawn along one of the existing circles, labeled C. A line cuts through the center of that circle, the diameter, labeled d.
0:08 Panning over green numbers, the digits of pi, on a black background. Finally, the camera stops at the beginning: 3.14.
0:12 A calendar zooms to March 14, where a pi symbol appears.
0:20 A reddish, eclipsed Moon pans into frame. The words Total Lunar Eclipse x Pi Day appear over a giant pi symbol.
0:24 Ernie Wright, lunar data visualizer, talking to the camera.
0:27 A wider angle of Ernie, from the side.
0:28 The progression of what an eclipsed Moon looks like, getting covered by black shadow before turning reddish orange.
0:32 The reddish orange Moon with streams of computer code over it.
0:42 Ernie talking to camera.
0:45 A pecan pie with the pi symbol made of whipped cream on top. 3.14 is superimposed. The numbers flip so they make out a stylized word pie.
0:47 Vintage footage of a researcher looking into a glovebox, where a pumpkin pie has been edited. Text reads "*images have been modi-pied"
0:49 A black and white lattice crust pie flying through space, with a face superimposed on it.
0:51 A lunar crater fades into a pie.
0:53 Ernie, seen from the side.
0:55 Ernie talking to camera.
0:56 Time lapse photo of each step of a lunar eclipse.
1:00 Vintage footage of a Saturn V launching.
1:02 Footage of a modern rocket launch.
1:03 Montage of the lunar surface seen from Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander.
1:07 Pan across a conceptual animation of astronauts working on the Moon.
1:09 Animation of an astronaut examining a Moon rock.
1:11 Ernie talking to camera.
1:14 Zooming away from the Moon.
1:21 Ernie from the other side.
1:23 Montage of footage from Apollo launching away from Earth.
1:26 The reddish eclipsed Moon.
Video credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Producer: Ryan Fitzgibbons [eMITS]
Videographer: Katy Mersmann [NASA/GSFC]
Expert: Ernie Wright [USRA]
This video can be freely shared and downloaded at svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14769. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, the music and some individual imagery may have been obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. Specific details on such imagery may be found here: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14769. For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/images-and-media/.
If you liked this video, subscribe to the NASA Goddard YouTube channel: youtube.com/NASAExplorer
Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
· Instagram instagram.com/nasagoddard
· Twitter twitter.com/NASAGoddard
· Facebook: facebook.com/NASAGoddard
· Flickr flickr.com/photos/gsfc
Pi in the sky! 🥧
The total lunar eclipse happened to fall on a very special day for math fans everywhere: Pi Day! We celebrated by watching Earth's shadow take a big bite out of the Moon overnight. Now, learn about how pi (the math kind) helps us study the universe around us.
Happy Pi Day!
Video description:
0:00 Three stacked images, labeled Rover Wheels, Spacecraft Orbits, and Exoplanet Hunting.
0:04 A series of concentric circles, interlocked with strings of lights.
0:05 A circle is drawn along one of the existing circles, labeled C. A line cuts through the center of that circle, the diameter, labeled d.
0:08 Panning over green numbers, the digits of pi, on a black background. Finally, the camera stops at the beginning: 3.14.
0:12 A calendar zooms to March 14, where a pi symbol appears.
0:20 A reddish, eclipsed Moon pans into frame. The words Total Lunar Eclipse x Pi Day appear over a giant pi symbol.
0:24 Ernie Wright, lunar data visualizer, talking to the camera.
0:27 A wider angle of Ernie, from the side.
0:28 The progression of what an eclipsed Moon looks like, getting covered by black shadow before turning reddish orange.
0:32 The reddish orange Moon with streams of computer code over it.
0:42 Ernie talking to camera.
0:45 A pecan pie with the pi symbol made of whipped cream on top. 3.14 is superimposed. The numbers flip so they make out a stylized word pie.
0:47 Vintage footage of a researcher looking into a glovebox, where a pumpkin pie has been edited. Text reads "*images have been modi-pied"
0:49 A black and white lattice crust pie flying through space, with a face superimposed on it.
0:51 A lunar crater fades into a pie.
0:53 Ernie, seen from the side.
0:55 Ernie talking to camera.
0:56 Time lapse photo of each step of a lunar eclipse.
1:00 Vintage footage of a Saturn V launching.
1:02 Footage of a modern rocket launch.
1:03 Montage of the lunar surface seen from Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander.
1:07 Pan across a conceptual animation of astronauts working on the Moon.
1:09 Animation of an astronaut examining a Moon rock.
1:11 Ernie talking to camera.
1:14 Zooming away from the Moon.
1:21 Ernie from the other side.
1:23 Montage of footage from Apollo launching away from Earth.
1:26 The reddish eclipsed Moon.
Video credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Producer: Ryan Fitzgibbons [eMITS]
Videographer: Katy Mersmann [NASA/GSFC]
Expert: Ernie Wright [USRA]
This video can be freely shared and downloaded at svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14769. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, the music and some individual imagery may have been obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. Specific details on such imagery may be found here: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14769. For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/images-and-media/.
If you liked this video, subscribe to the NASA Goddard YouTube channel: youtube.com/NASAExplorer
Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
· Instagram instagram.com/nasagoddard
· Twitter twitter.com/NASAGoddard
· Facebook: facebook.com/NASAGoddard
· Flickr flickr.com/photos/gsfc
