Shadow Cones

Hey I was just perusing the net when I came across this picture....it's from a seemingly nasa oriented sight I'm not sure if it changes every day or what...

antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov...

But today, it is "Shadow Cones"

antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov...

Maybe this is more permanent...

I've not seen anything like this before because they don't always happen...usually when lower on the horizon.

Here is the caption:

Explanation: Sometimes, during a total eclipse of the Sun, a strange shadow of darkness can be seen stretching off into the distance. Called a shadow cone, they are visible because the Earth's atmosphere is not completely transparent, scattering sunlight and hence appearing blue during the day. Shadow cones are particularly dramatic for eclipses near the horizon, as geometry creates a long corridor of sun-blocked air. Visible above is a shadow cone caught during a total solar eclipse visible last month from South Australia. The eclipsed Sun itself still appears bright because of light from the surrounding corona. The digital camera on the left is zoomed in to show a better image of the actual eclipse.

Yeah at the bottom it says "tommorow's pic" so use the top link to check up on it from time to time....astronomy sure is amazing

Sincerely,
no signature

Damn pic isn't working, so I made it a URL.

[Edited on 6-1-2003 by FreeMason]

They happen all the time.

Well.. all the time there's an annular eclipse that can be photgraphed with no cloud interference when the sun is on the horizon.