... Credit Copyright: Daniel Fischer ( Cosmic Mirror ) Explanation: Sometimes, during a total eclipse of the Sun, a strange shadow of darkness can be seen stretching off into the distance. ... Shadow cones are particularly dramatic for eclipses near the horizon , as geometry creates a long corridor of sun-blocked air. Visible above is a shadow cone caught during a sunset total solar eclipse visible last month from Patagonia , Argentina . ... Publications with keywords: total solar eclipse . ...

... Bad Astronomy . ... Bitesize Astronomy . ... Last week's Snack talked about how black holes can affect the environment around them in such a way as to be very bright . ... It's a common misconception that black holes always have matter swirling into them. ... As this matter gets closer and closer to the black hole it piles up and a large, fairly flat disk forms. This is called the accretion disk , because matter from this disk accretes (that is, falls in) on the black hole. ... 2008 Phil Plait. ...

... 2003 January 6 . Shadow Cone of a Total Solar Eclipse . ... Explanation: Sometimes, during a total eclipse of the Sun, a strange shadow of darkness can be seen stretching off into the distance. Called a shadow cone, they are visible because the Earth's atmosphere is not completely transparent, scattering sunlight and hence appearing blue during the day. ... Visible above is a shadow cone caught during a total solar eclipse visible last month from South Australia . ... About APOD | ...

Educator's Guide to Eclipses . ... In a solar eclipse you observe the Sun (using only safe methods, of course). ... In a lunar eclipse you observe the Moon. ... Because of the geometry described below, you can only view a solar eclipse when the Sun is up, and the Moon is nowhere to be seen. ... Eclipses occur when the Sun, Earth and Moon line up. ... In a solar eclipse the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun. ... In a lunar eclipse the Moon moves into Earth's shadow. ...

The Sun's corona . ... For instance, short "plumes" rising from the polar regions of the Sun look very much like field lines coming out of the end of a bar magnet, and they therefore suggest that the Sun, in addition to the intense fields of sunspots, also has a global magnetic field like the Earth's. Arches above the . Sun's surface . ... It is brightest near sunspots, whose arched field lines apparently hamper the outflow of solar wind which carries away energy and helps cool the corona. ...

Armagh Observatory, 17 January 2000 . Sky watchers will be treated to the first total lunar eclipse of the year on the morning of Friday, 21st January, weather permitting. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon completely enters the dark shadow cast by the Earth. ... The most spectacular part of the eclipse, the total phase, lasts from 4:04 a.m. until 5:23 a.m. when the whole Moon is within the Earth's dark (umbral) shadow. ... Last Revised: 18th January 2000 . ...

... Gift Center . ... Why do aurorae appear strongest within rings centered on Earth's poles instead of filled-in circles? ... RELATED TOPICS: AURORAE . The visible aurorae result from electrons that move along magnetic field lines from space into the upper atmosphere. ... Just make sure you're registered with the website. Get