... August 30, 1999 . Looking Back on an Eclipsed Earth . ... Explanation: Here is what the Earth looks like during a solar eclipse. ... Only observers near the center of the dark circle see a total solar eclipse - others see a partial eclipse where only part of the Sun appears blocked by the Moon . This spectacular picture of the 1999 August 11 solar eclipse was one of the last ever taken from the Mir space station , as Mir is being decommissioned after more than ten years of productive use. ...