So you took pictures of the 2017 eclipse and they look like the picture below, right?
...Or do they? Let's take another look.
How about we go ahead and zoom in on that to see what it is...
Is your mind blown? Did you miss it initially like I did? Wondering what it is? It's called a lens flare and in the photography world, it's not something you want. But in this case, it works out well because it's actually your own personal glimpse at the actual shape of the sun with the moon in front of it at the moment you took your picture. Notice it is different sizes in my pictures? That's because they were taken at different points throughout the eclipse. Cool, right?
Here are a few more examples from pictures I took today with my basic cell phone camera.
And my personal favorite - around peak time.
And just for fun, I zoomed in even more.
Now, go take a closer look at your photos of the eclipse! These were all taken by holding my phone up and pointing it at the sun while I either looked away or wore glasses. Initially I missed this reflection of the sun and thought my photos were all a waste, then I looked a little closer. I'm betting if your pictures looked like mine, you probably have this reflection in them as well!
