^

Anything seemingly "parallel" will appear very different (not parallel) if you're viewing it at position of one of the ends, then add in much of it being shadowed/blocked. The difference the side image shows (in the article) is a good example of the other perspective that makes it look logical. The small portion of light emanating from the sun that hits the tiny speck that is Earth wouldn't exactly be parallel (light would be both converging and diverging at the points it's hitting Earth, I assume), although it's close enough considering the vast distance.

/u/CreditKnifeMan