APOD: 2010 July 21 - The Crown of the Sun (original) (raw)

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos!Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2010 July 21

The Crown of the Sun
Credit & Copyright: Alain Maury,Jean-Luc Dauvergne

Explanation: During a total solar eclipse,the Sun's extensive outer atmosphere, or corona, is an inspirational sight. Subtle shades and shimmering featuresthat engagethe eye span a brightness range of over 10,000 to 1, making them notoriously difficult to capture in a single photograph. But this composite of 7 consecutive digital images over a range of exposure times comes close to revealingthe crown of the Sun in all its glory. The telescopic views were recorded from the Isla de Pascua (Easter Island) during July 11'stotal solar eclipseand also show solar prominences extending just beyond the edge of theeclipsedsun. Remarkably, features on the dim, near side of the New Moon can also be made out, illuminated by sunlight reflected from aFull Earth.

Tomorrow's picture: landscape with meteors

Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff(MTU) &Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip NewmanSpecific rights apply.
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