X

Solar eclipse caught on camera (photos)

Millions watched agape as the moon swallowed up most of the sun during Sunday's annular solar eclipse.

James Martin
James Martin is the Managing Editor of Photography at CNET. His photos capture technology's impact on society - from the widening wealth gap in San Francisco, to the European refugee crisis and Rwanda's efforts to improve health care. From the technology pioneers of Google and Facebook, photographing Apple's Steve Jobs and Tim Cook, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Google's Sundar Pichai, to the most groundbreaking launches at Apple and NASA, his is a dream job for any documentary photography and journalist with a love for technology. Exhibited widely, syndicated and reprinted thousands of times over the years, James follows the people and places behind the technology changing our world, bringing their stories and ideas to life.
James Martin
eclipse052012-3096.jpg
1 of 12 James Martin/CNET
Millions of people across eastern Asia and the western U.S. had a great view of the annular eclipse Sunday night, the first since 1994, in which the moon passes in front of the sun leaving only a golden ring around its edges, creating a "ring of fire."

The moon was never completely centered in the sun during the viewing of the eclipse from the San Francisco Bay Area, so no ring of fire was seen.

Click on for more photos, and don't miss our stunning video images captured by CNET cameraman Jared Kohler.

eclipse052012-3091.jpg
2 of 12 James Martin/CNET
The colored lens flares were seen as crescents due to the eclipse.
eclipse052012-3126.jpg
3 of 12 James Martin/CNET
During an annular solar eclipse the moon is too far from Earth and appears too small in the sky to block out the sun completely.
eclipse052012-3131-2.jpg
4 of 12 James Martin/CNET
The annular eclipse is seen here at 6:29 p.m. PT from the San Francisco Bay Area on Sunday May 20, 2012.
eclipse052012-3113.jpg
5 of 12 James Martin/CNET
The safest way to view an eclipse is by indirect projection. Here, an image of the eclipse is projected onto a white piece of paper through a pair of binoculars. The projected image of the sun can then be safely viewed.
eclipse052012-3137.jpg
6 of 12 James Martin/CNET
Shadows of the eclipse are projected by the dozen onto a house in Alameda, Calif., on Sunday.
eclipse052012-3131.jpg
7 of 12 James Martin/CNET
The moon was never completely centered in the sun during the viewing of the eclipse from San Francisco.
eclipse052012-3139.jpg
8 of 12 James Martin/CNET
The crescent sun appears behind the moon during Sunday's annular solar eclipse as seen from Northern California.
-1.jpg
9 of 12 Daniel Terdiman/CNET
Crescent shadows are seen on the ground in the Marin Headlands during the eclipse on Sunday May 20, 2012.
651827main_20120520_21_XRTEclipse_0025_1024x1024.jpg
10 of 12 JAXA/Hinode
Low-Earth orbit satellite Hinode captured this photo of the annular eclipse on Sunday May 20, 2012. Hinode is in a sun-synchronous polar orbit which gives it nearly continuous observations of the sun using its optical, extreme ultraviolet (EUV), and x-ray instruments to investigate the interaction between the Sun's magnetic field and its corona.
651834main_20120520_21_XRTEclipse_0043_1024x1024.jpg
11 of 12 JAXA/Hinode
Low-Earth orbit satellite Hinode captured these photos of the annular eclipse on Sunday May 20, 2012. Hinode is in a sun-synchronous polar orbit which gives it nearly continuous observations of the sun using its optical, extreme ultraviolet (EUV), and x-ray instruments to investigate the interaction between the Sun's magnetic field and its corona.
651839main_20120520_21_XRTEclipse_0062_1024x1024.jpg
12 of 12 JAXA/Hinode
Low-Earth orbit satellite Hinode captured these photos of the annular eclipse on Sunday May 20, 2012. Hinode is in a sun-synchronous polar orbit which gives it nearly continuous observations of the sun using its optical, extreme ultraviolet (EUV), and x-ray instruments to investigate the interaction between the Sun's magnetic field and its corona.

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos