A solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes between the earth and the sun, and the moon casts its shadow on the earth. During the few minutes of totality the entire disk of the sun is blocked and its white corona can be seen. Stars and planets are visible in the dark sky.
A wide-angle lens allows the camera to see the dark foreground, delicate sunset colors on the horizon, and the eclipsed sun almost directly overhead. The planets Mercury, Jupiter, and bright Venus align below the sun along the ecliptic. To the right are stars Betelgeuse, Procyon, and Sirius.
Hold your mouse cursor over the image to see labels on the stars and planets.
Four Stars, Four Planets
Total solar eclipse of July 11, 1991
La Paz, Baja California Sur, México
Nikon F3, Nikkor 16mm, f/2.8
Composite of ten exposures from 1/500 to 2 seconds on Kodachrome 200
Photoshop CS3 was used for composition. The distortion of the 16mm fisheye lens was corrected. For a single frame image see the 1991 card.