Explanation:
The track of totality for the
first solar eclipse of 2006 began
early yesterday on the east coast of Brazil and ended
half a world away at sunset in western
Mongolia.
In between, the shadow of the Moon
crossed the Atlantic
Ocean, northern Africa, and central Asia, and so
came for a moment to the small Greek island of
Kastelorizo in the eastern Aegean.
Astronomer Anthony Ayiomamitis reports that the islanders and
many eclipse-watching visitors
were indeed treated to an inspiring display of
the beautiful solar corona
as totality lasted about three minutes.
As the total
phase of the eclipse ended, he was able to capture this
striking
"diamond ring" image.
In it, the first rays of sunlight shining through edge-on lunar
valleys create the fleeting appearance of glistening
diamonds set in a bright ring around the Moon's
silhouette.
