Spot the moon on the earth from the universe

Millions of people on the planet rushed to find the best location to see the total solar eclipse on July 22. However, the best observation position is not underground, but above space.

A Japanese weather and aviation satellite has taken photos of the earth before and during the total solar eclipse on July 22. That's when observers on the earth see the moon completely obscuring the sun.

The shadow of the moon covers the whole island of Taiwan and part of China in the total solar eclipse of July 22 (right).(Photo: National Geographic)

The two photos above help viewers see the shape of Asia when viewed from Earth orbit. In the photo on the right, the moon's shadow covers Taiwan island and part of southeast China.

Earlier when the solar eclipse occurred on March 29, 2006, astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) also took pictures of the moon's shadow moving across Central Asia. In the picture, Cyprus (in the Mediterranean) is in the middle and above, while the Turkish coast is on the left.

The shadow of the moon swept across Central Asia in the solar eclipse on the morning of March 29, 2006.(Photo: National Geographic)

These images are quite rare because the shadow of the moon appears only on the earth when a solar eclipse occurs. The next opportunity to observe the moon shadow will arrive on July 11, 2010, when the total solar eclipse begins from the Cook Islands and moves to the southern tip of South America.