2014 April 30
A Partially Eclipsed Setting Sun
Image Credit & Copyright: Andrew Wall
Image Credit & Copyright: Andrew Wall
Explanation:
If you look closely, you will see something quite unusual about this setting Sun.
There are birds flying to the Sun's left, but that's
not
so
unusual.
A dark sea covers the Sun's bottom, and dark clouds cover parts of the middle, but they are also
not
very
unusual.
More unusual is the occulted piece at the top right.
And that's no occulting cloud --
that's
the
Moon.
Yesterday the Moon moved in front of part of the Sun as visible from
Australia, and although many locations reported annoying clouds, a
partially eclipsed Sun would occasionally peek through as it set.
The above image was captured yesterday on the western horizon of
Adelaide,
South Australia.
The maximum eclipse was visible only from a small part of
Antarctica
where the entire Moon could be seen covering the
entire center of the Sun in what is known as an
annular eclipse, leaving only a
ring of fire from the Sun
peeking out around the edges.
The
next solar eclipse will be another
partial eclipse,
will occur on 2014 October 23, and will be visible from most of
North America
near sunset.
2014 May 1
Explanation:
In skies over Brisbane at the southeastern corner
of Queensland, Australia,
Planet Earth, the Sun and New Moon set
together on April 29.
There the celestial line-up, the first solar
eclipse of 2014,
was seen as a
partial solar eclipse.
This dramatic composite is a digital stack of images taken
about 5 minutes apart with telephoto lens and solar filter.
It follows the eclipse in progress, approaching a western horizon
where crepuscular rays from
cloud banks in silhouette joined the silhouetted Moon.
From Brisbane, the maximum eclipse phase with the
Moon covering about 25% of the Sun occurred
just after sunset.
Only from a remote spot on the continent of Antarctica was it
even possible to see the eclipse in its brief annular phase,
the entire dark lunar disk surrounded by a thin,
bright ring of fire.
Source - NASA
