Explanation:
Eclipses are everywhere in this shady scene.
The picture was taken
on the Indian Ocean atoll island of Ellaidhoo, Maldives,
on January 15, during the longest
annular solar eclipse for the
next 1,000 years.
Tall palm trees provided the shade.
Their many crossed leaves created gaps that acted like
pinhole cameras, scattering recognizable
eclipse images across the
white sands of a tropical garden near the beach.
From this idyllic location near the centerline of the
Moon's shadow track,
the ring of fire or annular phase of the
eclipse lasted about 10 minutes and 55 seconds.
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