Explanation:
This dramatic skyscape was recorded during the
August 2008 total solar eclipse.
The Moon's silhouette surrounded by a glistening solar corona hangs
above the Jiayuguan Fort along
the western edge of
the Great Wall of China.
Lined-up along the
ecliptic plane, all the planets of
the inner solar
system, Mercury, Venus, Mars, (and Earth!) can also be seen
along with Saturn and bright star Regulus,
as the
Moon's shadow tracks across the landscape.
Beyond the Moon's shadow, outside the total eclipse track,
sunlight still brightens the sky over mountains on the horizon
30 - 50 kilometers away.
Much anticipated, the
2009
July 22nd total solar eclipse will again
be visible from China.
Planets and bright stars will briefly appear in
darkened daytime skies,
though a total eclipse won't be seen from the Great Wall.
Still, major cities and populated areas lie along the
2009 total eclipse track
that begins in India and
sweeps eastward across Asia and into the Pacific Ocean.
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