... Looking Back on an Eclipsed Earth . ... Credit: CNES Explanation: Here is what the Earth looks like during a solar eclipse . ... Only observers near the center of the dark circle see a total solar eclipse - others see a partial eclipse where only part of the Sun appears blocked by the Moon . This spectacular picture of the 1999 August 11 solar eclipse was one of the last ever taken from the Mir space station, which was deorbited in a controlled re-entry in 2001. ... Solar Eclipse from the Moon . ...