Total solar eclipse, La Silla Observatory, 2019

This image shows the Sun through various phases of the total solar eclipse visible over ESO's La Silla Observatory on 2 July 2019. It was taken using an H-alpha filter. The eclipse lasted roughly two and a half hours, with almost two minutes of totality at 20:39 UT, and was visible across a narrow band of Chile and Argentina. To celebrate this rare event ESO invited 1000 people, including dignitaries, school children, the media, researchers, and the general public, to come to the Observatory to watch the eclipse from this unique location.