Total Solar Eclipse of March 29, 2006

The images in this animation were produced by University of Wisconsin-Madison, using EUMETSAT Meteosat-8 satellite imagery. In this animation, the shadow of the moon cast upon the Earth can be seen crossing the Atlantic, Africa and Turkey. The diffuse patch of light seen moving from east to west is called sun glint, which is a result of reflected sunlight over relatively calm oceans.

 

Still Images for Download (to create your own animation):

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The total solar eclipse on March 29, 2006, started at sunrise over the eastern tip of Brazil and ends at sunset in western Mongolia. The total eclipse was visible in a 100-mile-wide swath in between the two locations, with the greatest eclipse, when the Sun was darkened longest, in southern Libya. A partial eclipse was visible over a broader region. To see the track of the eclipse, visit NASA’s Eclipse Page.

 

Over time, people realized that eclipses occur when the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun. A total eclipse is possible because the Sun and the Moon appear to be the same size from the surface of the Earth. The Sun is 400 times larger than the Moon, but it is also 400 times farther away, so the Moon can block the Sun’s light entirely when the two are aligned. An eclipse begins at sunrise in one place and ends at sunset half way around the world.

Umbral Shadow cast by the Moon During the Eclipse

The International Space Station (ISS) was in position to view the umbral (ground) shadow cast by the Moon as it moved between the Sun and the Earth during the solar eclipse on March 29, 2006. This astronaut image captures the umbral shadow across southern Turkey, northern Cyprus, and the Mediterranean Sea. People living in these regions observed a total solar eclipse, in which the Moon completely covers the Sun’s disk. The astronaut photograph was taken at approximately 2:00 p.m. local time. The terminator of the eclipse—the line between the light and dark parts of the Sun’s disk— is visible as it passes across central Turkey. This total solar eclipse is the fourth to have occurred since 1999. The portion of the ISS visible at image top is the Space Station Remote Manipulator System.

View of the Sun during an eclipse on July 11, 1991

The above photo shows the view of the Sun from Baja California during an eclipse on July 11, 1991, with the Moon sliding in front of the Sun.

Moon's Shadow on the Earth During the Eclipse on August 11, 1999

The above image is a reverse perspective: a view toward Earth from the perspective of space. During an eclipse, the Moon’s circular shadow slips across the Earth’s surface. This image was taken by astronauts on the Mir Space Station during a total solar eclipse over Eastern Europe on August 11, 1999.

Large sunspot photographed on April 7, 1947.

Large naked-eye sunspot photographed on April 7, 1947 was similar to the kinds that ancient astronomers occasionally saw and sketched.

Related Information:

• Like the beam of a flashlight in reverse, the Moon casts its shadow over the Earth when it moves in front of the Sun during a total solar eclipse. Within this shadow, which measures about 100 miles across, day becomes night for a few minutes as the Sun’s disk turns black surrounded by a glowing halo.

• Four total solar eclipses have occurred since 1999, and the most recent one is on March 29, 2006. It was visible along a narrow section of the Earth running from eastern Brazil, through Africa, and into Southwest Asia.

• Although total eclipses happen once every year or two, they are visible over such a small region that few people see more than one during their lifetimes. For most places on Earth, 360 years pass between total eclipses. Since eclipses are both locally rare and dramatic, they were viewed as an omen of doom by nearly all ancient cultures.

• Eclipse Facts:

  • Total solar eclipses happen about once every year or two.

  • Total solar eclipses happen because the Sun is near one of the nodes of the lunar orbit, and the Moon is near perigee at this node at the same time.

  • The longest duration for a total solar eclipse is 7.5 minutes.

  • Eclipse shadows travel at 1,100 miles per hour at the equator and up to 5,000 miles per hour near the poles.

  • The maximum number of solar eclipses (partial, annular, or total) is 5 per year.

  • A total eclipse can only happen during a new moon.

  • The width of the Moon's shadow is at most 170 miles wide.

  • From the Earth's surface, the Sun's corona ("crown") can ONLY be seen during a total eclipse.

  • A total solar eclipse is not noticeable until the Sun is more than 90 percent covered by the Moon. At 99 percent coverage, daytime lighting resembles local twilight.

  • Before the advent of modern atomic clocks, studies of ancient records of solar eclipses allowed astronomers to detect a 0.001 second per century slowing down in Earth's rotation.

  • Local animals and birds often prepare for sleep or behave confusedly during totality.

  • Local temperatures can drop as much as 20 degrees during a total solar eclipse.

NTSC TV Ready images 720x486

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The ISS photo shows the umbral (ground) shadow cast by the Moon as it moved between the Sun and the Earth during the solar eclipse on March 29, 2006.

Image NTSC 720x486

Same as above (no annotation).

Image NTSC 720x486

This photo shows the view of the Sun from Baja California during an eclipse on July 11, 1991, with the Moon sliding in front of the Sun.

Image NTSC 720x486

This image was taken by astronauts on the Mir Space Station during a total solar eclipse over Eastern Europe on August 11, 1999, showing Moon's shadow on the Earth.

Image NTSC 720x486

Large sunspot photographed on April 7, 1947.

NTSC TV Ready images 640x480

Image NTSC 640x480

The ISS photo shows the umbral (ground) shadow cast by the Moon as it moved between the Sun and the Earth during the solar eclipse on March 29, 2006.

Image NTSC 640x480

Same as above (no annotation).

Image NTSC 640x480

This photo shows the view of the Sun from Baja California during an eclipse on July 11, 1991, with the Moon sliding in front of the Sun.

Image NTSC 640x480

This image was taken by astronauts on the Mir Space Station during a total solar eclipse over Eastern Europe on August 11, 1999, showing Moon's shadow on the Earth.

Image NTSC 640x480

Large sunspot photographed on April 7, 1947.