Watching a total solar eclipse never gets old. Our bright sun, momentarily obscured by our moon, fades to a dark circle. But meanwhile, the sun’s corona — the outermost part of its atmosphere which is usually hidden — emerges as a glowing circle of light around the jet black void.
Before Saturday, the last total solar eclipse to occur in Antarctica was Nov. 23, 2003. The next one will not occur until 2039.
The video above, taken by Patrick Poitevin on an iPhone 6, shows the eclipse from start to finish from an aircraft leaving from Puntas Arenas, Chile.
Others captured the event from research stations on the ground and in space.
Total Solar Eclipse in Antarctica ☀️🌓🌎
— ALMA Observatory📡 (@almaobs) December 4, 2021
📷: From the Union Glacier Joint Scientific Polar Station. By @FTruebaG / @MarcaChile and
@ReneQuinan / @inach_gob
📷: From an airplane. “Eflight 2021-Sunrise” Mission by astronomy student @vanebulossa / @uchile pic.twitter.com/lRmBt62SaS
Woo hoo!!! ☀️🌞✈️ This is not the first time Mike Kentrianakis has chased a #TotalSolarEclipse to view it from the air - this time, the round trip to #Antarctica from NY involves 9 flights, but definitely paid off! This is so amazing!https://t.co/pFQZIET7AZ pic.twitter.com/YAQl1t0BUZ
— Cady Coleman (@Astro_Cady) December 4, 2021
The Deep Space Climate Observatory, or DSCOVR, spacecraft captured the Moon’s shadow over Antarctica about a million miles from Earth. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station, orbiting about 250 miles above Earth, also captured photos from the Cupola.
07:53 on Saturday December 4th, over the Indian Ocean pic.twitter.com/JEaMOeHmjb
— DSCOVR:EPIC (@dscovr_epic) December 5, 2021
"Saturday morning, the Expedition 66 crew squeezed into the Cupola to check out the total solar eclipse that occurred over Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Here the moon casts an oblong shadow on the Earth’s surface. It was an incredible sight to behold."
— NASA Astronauts (@NASA_Astronauts) December 4, 2021
– Kayla Barron pic.twitter.com/FktW8qsBIU
The last total solar eclipse in the United States amazed sky watchers from Oregon to South Carolina in 2017. The next total solar eclipse in the United States will take a path from Texas to Maine on April 8, 2024.