Detailed View of a Solar Eclipse Corona
Only in the fleeting darkness of a total solar eclipse is the light of the solar corona easily visible. Normally overwhelmed by the bright solar disk, the expansive corona , the sun's outer atmosphere , is an alluring sight. But the subtle details and extreme ranges in the corona's brightness, although discernible to the eye, are notoriously difficult to photograph. Pictured here , however, using multiple images and digital processing, is a detailed image of the Sun's corona taken during the April 20, 2023 total solar eclipse from Exmouth , Australia. Clearly visible are intricate layers and glowing caustics of an ever changing mixture of hot gas and magnetic fields . Bright looping prominences appear pink just around the Sun's limb . A similar solar corona might be visible through clear skies in a narrow swath across the North America during the total solar eclipse that occurs just six days from today NASA Coverage: Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 April 8