The only total solar eclipse of 2021 is visible from Antarctica, where the moon blocks the sun for about two minutes.
On December 4, 2021, some people in Antarctica were treated to a clear view of a total solar eclipse, the only one occurring in 2021. The eclipse was partially visible in the rest of the southern hemisphere. The eclipse totaled at 07:44 UTC and lasted just under two minutes, darkening the summer Antarctic skies by the time the sun was above the horizon for several months.
During a total solar eclipse, the Sun, Moon, and Earth line up in this order, with the Moon between the Sun and Earth. The moon casts a shadow over some of the earth’s surface. For people in the moon’s shadow, the sun is partially or completely obscured from view and the sky becomes very dark. Viewers with clear skies and appropriate equipment or glasses can often observe the sun’s outer atmosphere or the corona. Usually, it is obscured by the brightness of the Sun’s surface.
The image above was obtained during the eclipse by the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCVR). The satellite has a constant global view of Earth from its location at Lagrange Point 1, the stable point of gravity between the Sun and Earth 1.5 million km from Earth. In this view, obtained at 07:58 UTC, the moon’s shadow is seen falling over Antarctica.
The natural color images below were obtained by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 satellite on December 15, 2019 and December 4, 2021, respectively. Both images show the Pensacola Mountains, to the south of the Ron Ice Shelf. The December 2021 image was obtained at 07:37 UTC, a few minutes before the eclipse reached its peak. Notice the slight difference in the amount of darkness from south to north, as the south-facing slopes receive less sunlight from the horizon.
Total solar eclipses at the poles are rare because they involve less land and because the sun only shines on each pole for part of the year. NS Last total solar eclipse in Antarctica Signed in November 2003. Next will happen in December 2039.
2 jam Video From a total solar eclipse – as seen from Union Glacier, Antarctica – it flows
NASA photos provided by the DSCOVR EPIC team. Image of NASA Earth Observatory by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the US Geological Survey.
–
