Earth During a Total Solar Eclipse

Explanation: What does the Earth look like during a total solar eclipse? It appears dark in the region where people see the eclipse , because that's where the shadow of the Moon falls. The shadow spot rapidly shoots across the Earth at nearly 2,000 kilometers per hour, darkening locations in its path -- typically for only a few minutes -- before moving on. The featured video shows the Earth during the total solar eclipse earlier this month . The time-lapse sequence, taken from a geostationary satellite , starts with the Earth below showing night but the sun soon rises at the lower right. Clouds shift as day breaks over the blue planet . Suddenly the circular shadow of the Moon appears on the left and moves rapidly across South America , disappearing on the lower right. The video ends as nightfall begins again. The next total solar eclipse will occur next December -- but be visible only from parts of Antarctica .

Gallery: Notable images of the recent Total Solar Eclipse submitted to APOD