It looks a bit like someone has accidentally got their thumb caught in front of lens as they take a picture of the Sun.But this remarkable image shows the moon as it passes between a spacecraft and the sun - causing a partial eclipse.
In a first for NASA's SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory), the camera was watching the Sun in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light just as the dark Moon began to pass in front.
These images are not just nice to look at, however. Scientists who monitor the SDO say the partial eclipse will prove useful to them in improving how the equipment on board works.
Karel Schrijver of Lockheed-Martin's Solar and Astrophysics Lab said: 'The very sharp edge of the lunar limb allows us to measure the in-orbit characteristics of the telescope e.g., light diffraction on optics and filter support grids.
'Once these are characterised, we can use that information to correct our data for instrumental effects and sharpen up the images to even more detail.'
SDO provides better-than-HD quality views of the Sun at a variety of wavelengths and has been responsible for some of the spectacular solar flare images which have emerged in recent months as the Sun begins a period of heightened activity. (Daily Mail)
