The images, which have been combined into a gorgeous total solar eclipse video, were taken by the Deep Space Climate Observatory satellite (DSCOVR), which sits at a gravitationally stable point in space 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) closer to the sun than Earth is.

DSCOVR, a joint mission between NASA and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), was designed to provide an early space-weather warning system for the planet.

The spacecraft monitors the stream of charged particles flowing outward from the sun called the solar wind, and watches out for eruptions of solar plasma known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which can disrupt power grids, radio communications and GPS navigation if they hit Earth. According to DSCOVR project scientist Adam Szabo, the satellite's position upstream of Earth gives the planet 30 minutes' warning of approaching CMEs.