Why little blue 'shadows' showed up in many total solar eclipse photos

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As people continue to share their solar eclipse photos on social media, you may have noticed some odd occurrences in some of the pictures.

In many photos, a little blue crescent appears in the corner.

SkyWatch 17 Meteorologist Colleen Mehlberg said this little blue crescent's cameo appearance is the result of a lens flare.

Watch her full explanation below.

This lens flare happens when a camera is exposed to bright light, such as the sun.

Often lens flares show up as dots or blobs on photos, but in the case of a solar eclipse you can get lens flares with a little more character.

The eclipse caused many photos with blue shadows appearing at all stages as the moon passed over the sun.