APOD 4.5

APOD 4.5
Total Solar Eclipse over Svalbard

In Svalbard, Norway (last month) a total eclipse of the Sun by the Moon occured. In the image, a picture of the eclipse was captured every 3mins (then digitally merged with a foreground frame taken from the same location). The image looks like night during the day and the exception is the Moon itself, which appears surrounded by the expansive corona of the Sun. Of course, about 2.5 minutes later, the surface of the Sun began to reappear. The next total eclipse of the Sun will occur in 2016 March and be visible from Southeast Asia.

APOD 4.4

APOD 4.4
                 Mystic Mountain Dust Pillars

In the Carina Nebula (Mystic Mountain) and the stars are battle dust and are winning. Energetic light and winds from massive newly formed stars are evaporating/dispersing dusty stellar nurseries where they were formed. These pillar's are composed mostly of clear hydrogen gas. The Hubble Space Telescope took this image that is about 7,500 light-years distant and displays the interior region of Carina which spans about 3 light years. Within a few million years, the entire dust mountain will be destroyed.

APOD 4.3

APOD 4.3
                 Full Moon in Earth's Shadow 

April 4, 2015 the Full Moon was completely immersed in Earth's dark umbral shadow (lunar eclipse) for a brief time of less than 5 minutes (shortest total lunar eclipse of the century). The different colors of light are filtered through the atmosphere and  is colored by ozone that absorbs red light and transmits bluer hues. The image was taken in Auckland, New Zealand and the Moon's north pole is rotated to the top of the frame.

APOD 4.2

APOD 4.2
                  Shadow of a Martian Robot

The Opportunity rover  is currently exploring Mars and has been since early 2004. Opportunity has been searching for evidence of ancient water, and sending images across the inner Solar System. In the image above, Opportunity looks opposite to the Sun into Endurance Crater. This is where the rover's shadow falls and the wheels of Opportunity are also seen. Opportunity still roams Mars, exploring unusual terrain in Meridiani Planum.