On April 2, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) captured this rare view of the sun. Twice a year, SDO enters an eclipse season where the spacecraft slips behind Earth for up to 72 minutes a day. Unlike the crisp shadow one sees on the sun during a lunar eclipse, Earth’s shadow has a variegated edge due to its atmosphere, which blocks the sun light to different degrees depending on its density. Also, light from brighter spots on the sun may make it through, which is why some solar features extend low into Earth’s shadow.
You can discover more about the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center by visiting this site:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html