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.

                                2019 August 5

                       A Total Solar Eclipse Reflected
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Thierry Legault

   Explanation: If you saw a total solar eclipse, would you do a
   double-take? One astrophotographer did just that -- but it took a lake
   and a bit of planning. Realizing that the eclipse would be low on the
   horizon, he looked for a suitable place along the thin swath of South
   America that would see, for a few minutes, the Moon completely block
   the Sun, both directly and in reflection. The day before totality, he
   visited a lake called La Cuesta Del Viento (The Slope of the Wind) and,
   despite its name, found so little wind that the lake looked like a
   mirror. Perfect. Returning the day of the eclipse, though, there was a
   strong breeze churning up the water -- enough to ruin the eclipse
   reflection shot. Despair. But wait! Strangely, about an hour before
   totality, the wind died down. This calmness may have been related to
   the eclipse itself, because eclipsed ground heats the air less and
   reduces the amount rising warm air -- which can dampen and even change
   the wind direction. The eclipse came, his tripod and camera were ready,
   and so was the lake. The featured image of this double-eclipse came
   from a single exposure lasting just one fifteenth of a second. Soon
   after totality, the winds returned and the water again became choppy.
   No matter -- this double-image of the 2019 July total solar eclipse had
   been captured forever.

                        Tomorrow's picture: big void
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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