                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2021 December 9

                         A Total Eclipse of the Sun
     Image Credit & Copyright: Theo Boris, Christian A. Lockwood, David
                Zimmerman (JM Pasachoff Antarctic Expedition)
       Compositing: Zev Hoover and Ronald Dantowitz (MARS Scientific)

   Explanation: Few were able to stand in the Moon's shadow and watch the
   December 4 total eclipse of the Sun. Determined by celestial mechanics
   and not geographical boundaries, the narrow path of totality tracked
   across planet Earth's relatively inaccessible southernmost continent.
   Still, some enthusiastic and well-insulated eclipse chasers were
   rewarded with the dazzling spectacle in Antarctica's cold but clear
   skies. Taken just before the brief totality began, this image from a
   ground-based telescope inside the edge of the shadow path at Union
   Glacier catches a glimmer of sunlight near the top of the silhouetted
   lunar disk. Look closely for the pinkish solar prominences arcing above
   the Sun's limb. During totality, the magnificent solar corona, the
   Sun's outer atmosphere, made its much anticipated appearance, seen in
   the composite view streaming far from the Sun's edge.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
                NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

