Deep partial solar eclipse yields countless spectacular images

The partial solar eclipse of 4 January 2011 - which just missed being annular but was seen as a ring from space in Low Earth Orbit - may be one of the best-observed in history as it included densely-populated Europe. While many had to struggle with clouds, those often added to the beauty, plus the Sun could be caught in eclipse at sunrise in some European countries. The overall result is an unfathomable wealth of pictures in all kinds of places on the web: Here is a huge & growing link collection while fine images by indiduals and wire services alike have been collected e.g. here, here, here, here, here, here, hier, hier, hier, hier and here and news stories can be found here, here, here, here, hier, hier, hier, hier, hier, hier and hier (and for the record a lot of maps, graphics and previews of webcasts). Now to many individual photo galleries and reports:

In Germany yours truly chased the eclipse to Aachen with a TV crew; more pictures from the region are linked from there. Also selected pictures from Emmerich, Bochum, Oberhausen, Cologne, Bonn, Stuttgart, Rosenheim, Kaufering, Irschenberg, Munich (more, more), the Black Forest (more, more), Waiblingen, Wetzlar, Bentheim, Heidelberg, Pforzheim, Weimar, , Jena and Saxony (more, more, more and more). We also have pictures taken with a PST, photometry of clouds (more, more and a cloud picture series) and more reports from Germany here (a lot!), here, here, here, here, here and here. And from a train from Germany to Austria!

From other countries a lot of reports from Austria (more, more [more], more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more and more), from Switzerland (more), the Netherlands (lots more in this gallery, e.g. this, this, this, this and this sunrise shot), from Belgium (more), Spain (an 'Omega' sunrise; see here and here; more), Gran Canaria, the UK (more, more, more, more, more and more), Denmark, France, Italy, Sweden (more and more), Greece, Hungary, Romania, Israel, Egypt, Oman (with the ISS spoiling the view; discussed e.g. here and hier), Russia (more, more and more) and India (more and more). Oh, and from Finland a radio(!) picture.

And after the eclipse the Moon came back into the evening sky - and was well observed around the world one day later (more), 2 days later, 3 days later (more), 4 days later and 5 days later i.e. this evening (more) - also a collage of the 3, 4 and 5 days old Moon. • Talking about the Sun there's again excitement about a potential route to solve the coronal heating mystery, this time via spicules: press releases and stories here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. • Also the SDO is studying the inner corona, and the Calafate eclipse from last July is shown here on page 12.

In other news comet P/2010 V1 next to a globular cluster today and on Jan. 5, Hartley 2 on Jan. 1 - and early thoughts about Elenin this fall. • Asteroid/comet Scheila on Jan. 1; more stories here and here. • A call for photometry of three Vestoids (and new insights into Vesta itself). • Jupiter on Jan. 2 and Dec. 23 - and the SEB revival in one image covering Nov. 8 til Dec. 30. • Jupiter and Uranus on Jan. 3, just now joined by the Moon. • The storm on Saturn observed frequently by A. Wesley. • Moon, Venus & Mercury on Jan. 1. • And finally an animation of a persistent train of a 2011 Quadrantid; more on their peak (which didn't quite reach ZHR=100, it seems) here, here and here.