The year’s first and only total solar eclipse took place on Dec. 14 — but it was only visible from southern Chile and Argentina.
Fortunately for everyone else, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had several cameras and satellites set up and the eclipse was broadcast live.
Solar eclipses occur when the moon passes between Earth and the sun and blocks direct sunlight, either partially or totally. Rare total eclipses occur when the moon’s apparent diameter is larger than the sun’s, thus blocking out all direct sunlight. In these moments, the sun’s corona briefly becomes visible, as seen in these recent pictures posted on Twitter by AFT Photo:
Solar eclipse plunges southern Chile, Argentina into darknesshttps://t.co/TZuRKF2Rbl #AFP
— AFP Photo (@AFPphoto) December 15, 2020
📸 @rschemidt
📸 @jmabromata pic.twitter.com/VxwoY2eunp
According to SciTechDaily, daylight briefly turns into darkness during a total eclipse, but this phenomenon only occurs in a narrow stretch of the Earth’s surface known as the path of totality.
SciTechDaily reports that the NOAA recently released satellite footage that shows the path of totality during the Dec. 14 eclipse. The video clearly displays the moon’s circular shadow crossing over Chile and Argentina, momentarily creating daytime darkness in those areas.
#SATELLITE SPOTLIGHT: Here's a closer look at today's total #SolarEclipse from @NOAA's #GOES16🛰️. The moon's shadow tracked over the southern Pacific Ocean, as well as across #Chile and #Argentina, before moving into the southern Atlantic Ocean just before sunset. pic.twitter.com/YoO9N36s7c
— NOAA Satellites - Public Affairs (@NOAASatellitePA) December 14, 2020