Let’s discover the universe! Each day, a different image or photo of our fascinating universe will be featured with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
October 8, 2024
Annular solar eclipse in Patagonia
Image credits and copyright:
alexis trigo
explanation:
Can you find the sun? OK, but could you explain to me why there’s a big black dot in the middle? This spot is the moon, and the striking alignment of the moon within the sun is called an annular solar eclipse. Such a solar eclipse occurred just last week and was primarily visible from a narrow band in the Earth’s southern hemisphere. The featured image was taken from Patagonia, Chile. A total solar eclipse is visible from parts of the Earth when the Moon is significantly closer to the Earth and aligned with the Sun. Annular solar eclipses are slightly more common than total solar eclipses, but as the moon slowly moves away from Earth, in less than a billion years the moon’s orbit will be such that a total solar eclipse will be visible from anywhere on Earth. You won’t be able to get close to the moon.
Gallery:
Annular solar eclipse in October 2024
Tomorrow’s photos: center of the galaxy
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Author and editor:
Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bohnell (UMCP)
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NASA/GSFC ASD,
Revitalizing NASA’s scientific activities
& Michigan Tech University. U.
