                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2023 May 16
     A deep image of the Sun's surrounding corona during the April 2023
      total solar eclipse. The central disk is dark and many bright and
    complex rays are seen extending out. A few hot pink filaments can be
    seen just around the Sun's edge. Please see the explanation for more
                            detailed information.

                        Total Eclipse: The Big Corona
                 Image Credit & Copyright: Reinhold Wittich

   Explanation: Most photographs don't adequately portray the magnificence
   of the Sun's corona. Seeing the corona first-hand during a total solar
   eclipse is unparalleled. The human eye can adapt to see coronal
   features and extent that average cameras usually cannot. Welcome,
   however, to the digital age. The featured image digitally combined
   short and long exposures taken in Exmouth, Australia that were
   processed to highlight faint and extended features in the corona during
   the total solar eclipse that occurred in April of 2023. Clearly visible
   are intricate layers and glowing caustics of an ever changing mixture
   of hot gas and magnetic fields in the Sun's corona. Looping prominences
   appear bright pink just past the Sun's edge. Images taken seconds
   before and after the total eclipse show glimpses of the background Sun
   known as Baily's Beads and diamond ring effect. The next total solar
   eclipse will cross North America in April of 2024.

   Total Solar Eclipse of 2023 April Gallery: Notable Submissions to APOD
                       Tomorrow's picture: sun bridge
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

