Annular eclipse over New Mexico, May 20, 2012
© ssucsy/Getty Image
Ring of fire
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
Barrier reef off Grande Terre, New Caledonia, France
Mona Vale Rockpool, Sydney, Australia
Dunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario, Canada
Magellanic penguins, Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands
Spire Cove in Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska, United States
Gaztelugatxe islet at sunset, Basque Country, Spain
Great Blue Hole, Belize
Today on Bing
Osaka at night, Japan
Jun 10, 2024
Porto Cathedral, Portugal
Jun 10, 2023
Poppies in bloom, Moravia, Czech Republic
Jun 10, 2022
Ponta da Piedade rock formations, Portugal
Jun 10, 2019