Astronomy Picture of the Day

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

October 24, 1995
See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.
A Total Solar Eclipse
Credit: Steve Albers, Dennis di Cicco (S&T Magazine), Gary Emerson (E. E. Barnard Obs.)
Copyright: Steve Albers

Explanation: Pictured above is a total solar eclipse, with the Sun's corona, clearly visible surrounding the Moon. This picture is a composite of differently exposed photos of an eclipse that occurred on July 11, 1991. Today there will be another total eclipse of the Sun, the last until March 1997. The path of today's total eclipse will begin in the Middle East, move though southern China, and end in the Pacific Ocean south of the Marshall Islands. Those only near the path will see a partial solar eclipse. NASA keeps detailed maps of the predicted path of the eclipse.

Tomorrow's picture: Painting with Solar Neutrons

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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (GMU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA).
NASA Technical Rep.: Sherri Calvo. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA/ GSFC