Clouds change color because of solar eclipse

An artificial satellite captures the spectacle of the moon's shadow covering the clouds above the Pacific Ocean in a coronary solar eclipse on May 9.

Clouds above the Pacific Ocean gradually change from white to black in the coronary solar eclipse on May 9 and May 10. (Photo: Space)

White clouds in northeast Australia gradually turn black in the image taken by Earth observation satellite at 23:30 GMT on 9 May.

The first coronary eclipse of 2013 turned the sun into a ring of fire for observers in northern Australia, east of Papua New Guinea and many other parts of the Pacific. Because the moon between the earth and the sun, its shadow covered the blue planet. The shadow of the moon forms black streaks, with the highest width up to 172km.

The American Terra satellite, which flew into orbit in December 1999, observed the earth for more than a decade. It uses five sensors to study the earth's atmosphere and map the human impact on ecosystems across the planet.