Eclipse in African Skies
Credit & Copyright:
Olivier Staiger
Yesterday, for a brief few minutes, a total
eclipse of the Sun
brought darkness to
southern
Africa's daytime skies.
During this first total solar eclipse of the third
millennium
webcast sites were swamped, but sun-watchers along the eclipse path enjoyed
clear
weather and reported fantastic views.
Enthusiastic astrophotographer Olivier Staiger
recorded these pictures
during the eclipse's total phase from Lusaka, Zambia.
The large image above shows the Sun's tantalizing inner corona with
telltale pinkish prominences around the solar limb, while the inset at
the lower right reveals the spiky outer
corona.
But the inset also captures another
celestial beacon sharing the
eclipse-darkened heavens,
the bright planet Jupiter shining at the lower left.
The next total solar eclipse will be on
2002 December 4 ...
again in southern African skies.