Annular Eclipse of the Sun
A Near-Perfect New Moon
May 10, 1994
On May 10, 1994, the Moon passed between the Earth and the Sun,
allowing those in central North America to witness a solar eclipse.
View the panel from right to left, the individual images showing
the Moon moving from west to east in its orbit relative to the Sun.
The lunar orbit is somewhat elliptical, and the day before the
eclipse, it had passed its apogee, where it is 5.5 percent farther
from the Earth than average, causing the Moon's angular diameter to
be slightly less than that of the Sun. The result was an
annular eclipse in which the uncovered part of the Sun
appeared as an "annulus," or ring, around the nearly perfect new Moon.
Photo and panel courtesy of Mark Killion.
Photo copyright © Mark Killion.