Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2023 October 16

An annular solar eclipse appears in the background with the dark Moon appearing completely internal to the bright Sun. In the foreground is a ridge with the silhouettes of two people, one standing, and one kneeling. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Eclipse Rings

**Image Credit & Copyright: ** Jerry Zhang (left), Baolong Chen (photographer) & Amber Zhang (right)

Explanation: She knew everything but the question. She was well aware that there would be a complete [annular eclipse](https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2023/where- when/) of the Sun visible from their driving destination: Lake Abert in Oregon. She knew that the next ring- of-fire eclipse would occur in the USA only in 16 more years, making this a rare photographic opportunity. She was comfortable with the plan: that she and her boyfriend would appear in front of the eclipse in silhouette, sometimes alone, and sometimes together. She knew that the annular phase of this eclipse would last only a few minutes and she helped in the many hours of planning. She could see their friend who set up the camera about 400 meters away at the bottom of a ridge. What she didn’t know was the question she would be asked. But she did know the answer: “yes”.

Album: Selected eclipse images sent in to APOD Tomorrow’s picture:dust rings

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