Total solar eclipse 8 April 2024

This image shows the total solar eclipse of 8 April 2024, as seen from the Dunas de Bilbao, Mexico at 12:20 CST. It’s a remarkable coincidence that the Moon – visible in the centre of this image – appears exactly the same size in the sky as the much larger but also much more distant Sun. When the two align perfectly as seen here, the Moon blocks out most of the Sun’s bright light and the latter’s extended atmosphere (called the corona) becomes visible.

Excitingly, the Sun is now nearing peak levels of activity, where its magnetic field becomes more disorganised before flipping its north and south poles. This is reflected in the structure of the Sun’s corona.

This image was taken with a Fujifilm X-T5 camera, using an exposure time of 1/10 seconds at ISO128. It was taken as part of an eclipse expedition organised by LUNEX EuroMoonMars and the KOSMICA Institute from Monterrey, Mexico. The group included space experts, space artists and enthusiasts in connection with the International Aeronautical Foundation's Committee for the Cultural Utilisation of Space.

In preparation for eclipse, the group visited various cultural locations to recognise the strong links between Mexico, astronomy and space exploration.