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Solar
Eclipse 2001
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| Image
1 | | Click
on Image 1 animation in Viewable Images box to view animation. |
Few people ever get the opportunity to see a total eclipse of the Sun. It only
happens on the average of once every 400 ears for any given spot on the Earth’s
surface and lasts only for 1 to 2 minutes. On June 21, 2001, and on the day of
the summer solstice, this natural phenomenon will be visible within a very narrow
path that begins in the Southern Atlantic Ocean and ends in the Indian Ocean.
The total eclipse is not only beautiful to look at, but it provides a unique view
of the Sun’s outer atmosphere called the corona. Eclipses are so useful in
helping us study the Sun that scientists built special cameras onboard the SOHO
spacecraft to create a continuous artificial eclipse. From the unique vantage
point in space, scientists have been able to monitor the explosions on the Sun
that can impact us here on Earth. 
Image 2
The
image above shows the path of the Moon’s shadow on the Earth. Click on Image
2 animation in Viewable Images box to view animation. 
Image 3
Path
of the June 2001 total solar eclipse 
Image 4
Graphic
and animation shows percentage of Earth eclipsed. Click on Image 4 animation in
Viewable Images box to view animation. Animations/Images
Courtesy: NASA Back
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