Discover the cosmosEach day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Explanation:On August 12, the Moon’s shadow reached out to touch our fair planet.
Beginning in the Arctic Ocean, it swept along a narrow track that led the dark lunar umbra across parts of Greenland, Iceland, the Atlantic, Portugal, andnorthern Spain.
And for a moment, denizens of Earthwho found themselves with clear skies under the shadow of the Moon could witness a total solar eclipse.
After dodging the weather by sea and making a landing along Rype Fjord on the Greenland east coast, this hard-won snapshot was captured at 17:33:26 UTC.
That’s near the initial reach of clearing skies alongthe path of totality, so the image is likely one of the first unobstructed views of thetotally eclipsed Sun.
Through a break in the clouds, the stunning photo also records one of this eclipse’stransient diamond ringsand themagnificent solar coronaemerging near the moment totality began.
More spectacular eclipse images:Solar Eclipse of 2026 August 12Tomorrow’s picture:perhaps a Perseid