August 4, 2010
There are stars whose light will never reach us, worlds we will never touch, mysteries we may never solve.
Eclipse Shadow Cone Over Patagonia
Birthday · August 4, 2010
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APOD published August 4, 2010. Credit: Daniel Fischer (Cosmic Mirror). A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Sometimes, during a total eclipse of the Sun, a strange shadow of darkness can be seen stretching off into the distance. Called shadow cones, they are visible because the Earth's atmosphere is not completely transparent, scattering sunlight and hence appearing blue during the day. Shadow cones are particularly dramatic for eclipses near the horizon, as geometry creates a long corridor of sun-blocked air. Visible above is a shadow cone caught during a sunset total solar eclipse visible last month from Patagonia, Argentina. The eclipsed Sun itself still appears bright around the edges of the Moon because of light from the surrounding corona. A few minutes later, the Moon began to move away from the Sun as both set behind distant Andes mountains.
Image credit: Daniel Fischer (Cosmic Mirror)