Solar Eclipse Over the South Pacific Ocean

During the afternoon of March 9, 2016, a total solar eclipse was visible in parts of southeast Asia and a partial eclipse was visible in parts of Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and America Samoa. An eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly between Earth and the sun. When the moon's shadow falls on Earth, observers within that shadow see the moon block a portion of the sun's light.

The MODIS instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image of the total solar eclipse moving across the south Pacific Ocean at 03:05 UTC on March 9, 2016. NASA's Terra satellite also imaged the eclipse on the morning of March 9 at 01:40 UTC.

Image Credit: NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team