Explanation:
When the dark shadow of the Moon
raced across North America on April 8,
sky watchers along the shadow’s narrow
central path were treated to a total solar eclipse.
During the New Moon’s shadow play
diamonds glistened twice in the
eclipse-darkened skies.
The transient celestial jewels
appeared immediately before and after the total eclipse phase.
That’s when the rays of a vanishing and then emerging sliver of solar disk
are just visible behind the silhouetted Moon’s edge,
creating the appearance of a shiny diamond set in a dark ring.
This dramatic timelapse composite
from north-central Arkansas
captures both diamond ring moments of
this total solar eclipse.
The diamond rings are separated by the ethereal beauty of
the solar corona visible during totality.