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Earth eclipses the sun in this stunning image

NASA has released a new image of the sun from March 29, 2011. The portion of the sun that’s covered is actually the Earth. This photo was taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), a spacecraft that orbits the Earth at a distance of 22,000 miles. 72 minutes a day the SDO witnesses the sun being eclipsed by the Earth like this. In February, two NASA probes also gave us our first simultaneous shot of the entire surface of the sun, all 360 degrees. High resolution versions of this image can be found on Flickr. It’s strange, but our sun is a bit creepy when you look at it.

nasa-sun-spring-eclipse
Image used with permission by copyright holder

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Jeffrey Van Camp
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…
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