Picture of the Day August 5, 2008 translated by Alex Dantart "What's that black dot across the Sun? Moon. Last Weekend Sun went dark during the day as the Moon completely covered it. The total solar eclipse was visible through a thin strip of land stretching from northern Canada to China. As shown above, many sky enthusiasts gathered to witness the partial or total solar eclipse, which lasted only a few minutes. The picture above was taken during the all about Barkol in Xinjiang, China, with Barkol Shan mountain range visible on the horizon. Although the brightest parts of the Sun were covered, the normally invisible corona of hot gas around the Sun became more prominent. Just the top left of the Sun obscured by the moon, the planets are Mercury and Venus. The increased darkness of the sky to the right indicates the darkened atmosphere created by the passage of the conical shadow of the total solar eclipse. The next total solar eclipse will be next July and will be visible in much of India and China. "
Credits & Copyright: Bill Buckingham
