Rare total solar eclipse over Antarctica dazzles ... the penguins - Livescience.com

Anyone in Antarctica today would have experienced the only total solar eclipse of the year, suggesting one of the largest groups of individuals to observe the gorgeous show would have been the southern continent's penguins.

During a solar eclipse, the moon moves between the sun and Earth so that it projects a shadow onto Earth.

Today's total solar eclipse happened when the sun, moon and Earth, in that order, were lined up perfectly.

EST (0744 GMT), according to NASA. Totality — when the umbra or the darkest part of the moon's shadow covers the face of Earth — lasted just 1 minute and 54 seconds at most.

People (or animals) who got to see the solar eclipse (through special glasses, as you should never look directly at the sun) were located in the center of the moon's shadow at the time it hit Earth, according to NASA.

If you were lucky enough to be in the path of the total solar eclipse, you would have seen (through solar-eclipse glasses) the sun's outer atmosphere called the corona.

Though people outside of Antarctica didn't get to see the total solar eclipse, some were treated to a partial eclipse, which occurs when the sun, moon and Earth (in that order) are not directly lined up.

NASA said the partial solar eclipse, weather permitting, was observable from: parts of Saint Helena, Namibia, Lesotho, South Africa, South Georgia and Sandwich Islands, Crozet Islands, Falkland Islands, Chile, New Zealand and Australia.