Annular eclipse over New Mexico, May 20, 2012
© ssucsy/Getty Image
Ring of fire
No, this isn't some kind of early promo for 'Halo: Infinite.' Today's homepage image shows an annular solar eclipse captured in New Mexico in 2012. ('Annular' is just a fancy word for doughnut-shaped.) It's not unlike the eclipse some northerly parts of the world will enjoy today.
Annular eclipses like today's occur when the moon is at its apogee, or the furthest distance in its orbit from Earth. Since the moon looks its smallest to us now, it can't fully cover the sun—but the lucky few living in far northern Canada, Scandinavia, and Siberia will have tickets to a one-ring solar circus once everything lines up just right.
Related Images
Barley field in East Lothian, Scotland
Tokyo Tower in Minato City, Tokyo, Japan
Mulberry Harbour in Arromanches-les-Bains, Normandy, France
Springboks near a waterhole in Etosha National Park, Namibia
A view across the River Shannon in Limerick, County Limerick, Ireland
The Great Pyramid of Cholula, in Cholula, Puebla, Mexico
Montalbano Elicona, Messina, Sicily, Italy
A balloon flies over the Pyramid of the Sun at sunrise in Teotihuacan, Mexico
Today Bing
The Pena National Palace in Sintra, Portugal
Jun 10, 2018
Ponta do Sol, Island of Madeira, Portugal
Jun 10, 2015
