This total solar eclipse image was captured from Exmouth, Australia, on April 20, 2023. Credit: Mantarays Ningaloo, Australia/MIT-NASA Eclipse Edition
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This composite image of a total solar eclipse was captured on April 20, 2023 from Exmouth, Australia, a small coastal town in Western Australia known for its stunning beaches, diverse marine life, and proximity to the Ningaloo Reef.
A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun, blocking the bright solar disk and revealing the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, which appears as white streamers extending away from the Sun. The pinkish, peak-like feature seen in the lower left part of the corona in this image is a solar prominence — a towering structure of solar material suspended above the Sun by magnetic fields.
The next total solar eclipse will cross Mexico, the United States, and Canada on April 8, 2024.
