Friday's solar eclipse [
http://sunearth.gsf
HSE2005.html ] will be a rare hybrid - briefly appearing as [
http://skyandtelesc
article_1445_1.asp ] either an annular eclipse or a total eclipse when viewed from along the narrow track of the Moon's shadow [
http://antwrp.gsfc.
]. Unfortunately that track, never more than about 30 kilometers wide, lies [
http://sunearth.gsf
HSE2005fig/HSE2005ma p1b.GIF ] mostly across the Pacific Ocean, beginning south of New Zealand and just ending in Venezuela. Skywatchers along the beginning and end of the shadow track will see an annular eclipse of the Sun, with the Moon's silhouette briefly surrounded by a bright ring of fire [
http://antwrp.gsfc.
], while observers along the middle of the track will witness a total eclipse [
http://antwrp.gsfc.
] phase. But the good news is that over a much broader region of the globe, including New Zealand and much of South and North America, a partial eclipse can be seen as the Moon appears to take a bite [
http://antwrp.gsfc.
] out of the Sun. If you want to view the eclipse [
http://skyandtelesc
article_1492_1.asp ], take care to do it safely [
http://www.mreclips
], and check the times [
http://sunearth.gsf
PSE2005.html ] for your specific location [
http://sunearth.gsf
LC2005-2.html#2005Ap r08H ]. So, what location is this solar eclipse view from? The picture above [
http://antwrp.gsfc.
] was recorded in November of 2003 from within the track of the Moon's shadow across Antarctica, of course.
Explanation
Friday's solar eclipse [
http://sunearth.gsf
HSE2005.html ] will be a rare hybrid - briefly appearing as [
http://skyandtelesc
article_1445_1.asp ] either an annular eclipse or a total eclipse when viewed from along the narrow track of the Moon's shadow [
http://antwrp.gsfc.
]. Unfortunately that track, never more than about 30 kilometers wide, lies [
http://sunearth.gsf
HSE2005fig/HSE2005ma p1b.GIF ] mostly across the Pacific Ocean, beginning south of New Zealand and just ending in Venezuela. Skywatchers along the beginning and end of the shadow track will see an annular eclipse of the Sun, with the Moon's silhouette briefly surrounded by a bright ring of fire [
http://antwrp.gsfc.
], while observers along the middle of the track will witness a total eclipse [
http://antwrp.gsfc.
] phase. But the good news is that over a much broader region of the globe, including New Zealand and much of South and North America, a partial eclipse can be seen as the Moon appears to take a bite [
http://antwrp.gsfc.
] out of the Sun. If you want to view the eclipse [
http://skyandtelesc
article_1492_1.asp ], take care to do it safely [
http://www.mreclips
], and check the times [
http://sunearth.gsf
PSE2005.html ] for your specific location [
http://sunearth.gsf
LC2005-2.html#2005Ap r08H ]. So, what location is this solar eclipse view from? The picture above [
http://antwrp.gsfc.
] was recorded in November of 2003 from within the track of the Moon's shadow across Antarctica, of course.
Explanation