32 amazing photos of solar eclipses (pictures)
Nothing photobombs the sun better than the moon. Here are some stunning pictures of eclipses through the years.
The only eclipse images you need to see
Just admit it: Solar eclipses are cool. They turn shadows on the ground into crescent-shaped slivers, and the sun itself into a blazing homage to its sister body, the moon.
This composite image shows the progression of a partial solar eclipse over Ross Lake, in Northern Cascades National Park, Washington on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017.
Eerie in Vienna
In this photo from March 20, 2015, a partial solar eclipse is visible over a statue on the rooftop of of Hofburg Palace in Vienna.
United States, November 2013
A partial solar eclipse dazzled residents of the Queens borough of New York on November 3, 2013.
United States, May 2012
Visitors to the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona on May 20, 2012, were treated to more than the usual beauty of the area.
France, March 2006
In March 2006, children in Marseille, France, watched an eclipse... the safe way!
Space, December 2002
This image from the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory shows a composite image of the sun during an eclipse on Dec. 4, 2002. The image combines a view of the sun from SOHO (innermost) with a ground-based image (outermost).
Australia, May 2013
This combination of photos shows the moon crossing in front of the sun, as seen from the Sydney Observatory on May 10, 2013.
Japan, May 2012
For the first time in 932 years, a swathe of Japan was able to see an annular solar eclipse in May of 2012. An annular eclipse happens when the sun and moon are in line, but the apparent size of the moon is smaller than that of the sun.
Bulgaria, January 2011
Sky-gazers in Sofia, Bulgaria, took in this view on January 4, 2011.
United States, May 2012
Los Angeles was treated to an annular solar eclipse on May 20, 2012.
Mexico, July 1991
This multiple-exposure photograph shows the progress of a July 11, 1991, solar eclipse over Xochicalco, Mexico.
United States, May 2012
A photographer in Kanarraville, Utah, captured this combination of photos on May 20, 2012. The tiny town was considered the ideal spot to see the eclipse that year.
Philippines, May 2012
Here's a blazingly colorful view of a May 21, 2012, solar eclipse over the Philippines.
Greece, March 2006
This is what folks on Kastellorizo Island, in southeastern Greece, saw on March 29, 2006.
England, August 2008
A plane flew across a view of the sun during a solar eclipse in Essex, England, on August 1, 2008.
Xian, China, August 2008
China got its first solar eclipse of the 21st century on August 1, 2008.
Lebanon, January 2011
The eclipsed sun appeared to top a minaret in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Sidon on January 4, 2011.
South Korea, January 2010
This multiple-exposure photo was taken using a neutral-density filter in Seoul on January 15, 2010.
India, July 2009
The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century came on July 22, 2009, and cast a shadow over much of Asia, plunging hundreds of millions into darkness across the land masses of India and China.
Sweden, January 2011
This eclipse over Stockholm, Sweden, was viewed by a photographer through a double-glazed window on January 4, 2011.
Spain, October 2005
Here's a view of a solar eclipse in Vigo, Spain on October 3, 2005.
Pakistan, January 2011
This combination picture shows the partial solar eclipse over Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad on January 4, 2011.
Philippines, May 2012
A darker view of the May 21, 2012, solar eclipse over the Philippines.
China, May 2012
This combo photo shows the annular solar eclipse seen from the coast of Xiamen, in China's southeast province of Fujian on May 21, 2012.
Kuwait, November 2013
A partial solar eclipse was framed with love by an onlooker at the Souq Sharq Marina in Kuwait City on November 3, 2013.
United States, May 2012
Here's a composite of images from the May, 2012 solar eclipse over Arizona, the first annular eclipse seen in the US since 1994.
United Arab Emirates, November 2013
A rare hybrid solar eclipse took place during the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix on November 3, 2013.
Space, May 2012
This snapshot provided by NASA shows the sun, including its spots, as the moon moved into a partial eclipse position on May 20, 2012.
Australia, November 2012
On November 12, 2012, stargazers in Palm Cove, Australia, witnessed a near totality.
United States, May 2012
It's unclear what created this heart shape of the sun during an annular solar eclipse over Los Angeles, Calif., on May 20, 2012.
Japan, May 2012
This multi-exposure picture shows a solar eclipse over Utsunomiya, Japan on May 21, 2012.
Australia, May 2013
Observatory visitors were treated to an annular solar eclipse in remote areas of Australia on May 10, 2013.