A Double Eclipse of the Sun

Explanation: Can the Sun be eclipsed twice at the same time? Last Friday was noteworthy because part of the Earth was treated to a rare total eclipse of the Sun. But also on Friday, from a part of the Earth that only saw part of the Sun eclipsed, a second object appeared simultaneously in front of the Sun: the Earth-orbiting International Space Station . Although space station eclipses are very quick -- in this case only 0.6 seconds, they are not so rare . Capturing this composite image took a lot of planning and a little luck, as the photographer had to dodge a series of third objects that kept, annoyingly , also lining up in front of the Sun: clouds . The above superposed time-lapse sequence was taken from Fregenal de la Sierra in southern Spain . The dark disk of the Moon dominates the lower right, while the Sun's textured surface shows several filaments and, over an edge, a prominence .

Gallery: Solar Eclipse