Diamonds in the Sky
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Explanation: When the dark shadow of the Moon raced across North America on April 8, sky watchers along the shadow's narrow central path were treated to a total solar eclipse.
During the New Moon's shadow play diamonds glistened twice in the eclipse-darkened skies.
The transient celestial jewels appeared immediately before and after the total eclipse phase.
That's when the rays of a vanishing and then emerging sliver of solar disk are just visible behind the silhouetted Moon's edge, creating the appearance of a shiny diamond set in a dark ring.
This dramatic timelapse composite from north-central Arkansas captures both diamond ring moments of this total solar eclipse.
The diamond rings are separated by the ethereal beauty of the solar corona visible during totality.