March 24, 2015 - Solar eclipse over the Arctic Ocean

Solar eclipse over the Arctic Ocean

During the morning of March 20, 2015, a total solar eclipse was visible from parts of Europe, and a partial solar eclipse from northern Africa and northern Asia. NASA's Terra satellite passed over the Arctic Ocean on March 20 at 10:45 UTC (6:45 a.m. EDT) and captured this true-color image of the eclipse's shadow over the clouds in the Arctic Ocean.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, causing the moon to cast its shadow on the Earth. A partial solar eclipse occurs when part of the sun always remains in view during the eclipse as the penumbra (shadow) of the moon passes over the Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the sun is completely obscured from view during the event.

The landforms captured in this image and outlined by black borderlines are Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands in the northwest section of the image, and Severny Island, Russia, which can be seen in the southeast section of the image, underneath the golden penumbra.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 3/20/2015
Resolutions: 1km (1.1 MB), 500m (4.1 MB), 250m (9.7 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC