A partial solar eclipse swept across the face of the sun on Sept. 21, mesmerizing stargazers with a dramatic display of orbital mechanics that saw the curved silhouette of the lunar disk turn the incandescent orb of our parent star into a fiery crescent over the Pacific Ocean.
The Sept. 21 partial solar eclipse occurred as the moon traveled between Earth and the sun, blocking the disk of our parent star and darkening the sky for over 16 million people in New Zealand, Antarctica and a host of Pacific island nations.
