The joint Japanese-American Hinode satellite, whose purpose is to study the magnetic fields and energy mechanisms of the Sun, captured this breathtaking image of an annular solar eclipse on Jan. 4, 2011. An annular eclipse occurs when the moon, slightly more distant from Earth than on average, moves directly between Earth and the sun, thus appearing slightly smaller to observers’ eyes; the effect is a bright ring, or annulus of sunlight, around the silhouette of the moon.
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| Here and below: photos of an annular solar eclipse taken by the solar optical telescope Hinode as the moon came between it and the sun. Credit: Hinode/XRT |
Hinode, launched in September 2006, uses three advanced solar telescopes to further our understanding of the solar atmosphere and turbulent solar eruptions that can impact hardware and life on Earth.
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