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.

                              2020 December 29

                     Earth During a Total Solar Eclipse
                   Video Credit: GOES-16, ABI, NOAA, NASA

   Explanation: What does the Earth look like during a total solar
   eclipse? It appears dark in the region where people see the eclipse,
   because that's where the shadow of the Moon falls. The shadow spot
   rapidly shoots across the Earth at nearly 2,000 kilometers per hour,
   darkening locations in its path -- typically for only a few minutes --
   before moving on. The featured video shows the Earth during the total
   solar eclipse earlier this month. The time-lapse sequence, taken from a
   geostationary satellite, starts with the Earth below showing night but
   the sun soon rises at the lower right. Clouds shift as day breaks over
   the blue planet. Suddenly the circular shadow of the Moon appears on
   the left and moves rapidly across South America, disappearing on the
   lower right. The video ends as nightfall begins again. The next total
   solar eclipse will occur next December -- but be visible only from
   parts of Antarctica.

   Gallery: Notable images of the recent Total Solar Eclipse submitted to
                                    APOD
                      Tomorrow's picture: planets dance
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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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