We earthlings tend to think of solar eclipses as they are seen from the ground, when the black disk of the Moon blocks out the Sun. But an eclipse is nothing more than a giant shadow -- something that becomes apparent in this photograph of Earth's surface taken from space.

In the total solar eclipse of Sunday, Nov. 23, the Moon dropped an odd shadow on Antarctica.

This view was acquired by NASA's Aqua satellite during a 5-minute period. The Sun was low on the horizon, typical of near summer in the Antarctic. That low angle caused the Moon's shadow to fall along an oval that's about 310 miles (500 kilometers) long. The effect is similar to the pattern a flashlight casts on the floor when held at a similarly low angle, NASA scientists said.

Look close and you'll see two parts to this shadow. The fuzzy outer part is called the penumbra, where some but not all of the Sun's rays pass by (see graphic below). The solid inner portion -- totality as astronomers call it -- is the umbra.

The South Pole is just beyond the right corner of the image. Patches of low cloud along the left side of the umbra leave a dark smudge on the surface.