A rare total solar eclipse will be visible across the Earth in August
On August 12 of this year, one of the most spectacular total solar eclipses will take place, visible across a narrow band stretching from the Arctic to Europe. For a few minutes, the Sun will completely disappear from the sky, creating a rare celestial spectacle.
This August, the sky will present one of the most spectacular astronomical phenomena—a total solar eclipse—which will plunge part of the Earth into near-nighttime darkness for a few minutes in the middle of the day, and this spectacle is already being called one of the major cosmic events of the year.
According to EarthSky, the total phase of the eclipse will be visible in a narrow band about 8,300 kilometers long, stretching from the Arctic through the North Pole region to Greenland, Iceland, Portugal, and northern Spain, and it is there that the Sun will be completely hidden behind the Moon.
The duration will vary by region: in Greenland, total darkness will last just over two minutes, while in northern Spain—only about 20 seconds, but even that will be enough for the sky to darken sharply and daylight to vanish in literally a matter of seconds. “At that moment, the sky will darken, and the Sun will be completely hidden,” the researchers note, adding that favorable weather on the day of the event will be the main condition for observation.
Outside the path of totality, residents of parts of Europe, Africa, and North America will be able to see only the partial phase, when the Moon covers only part of the Sun’s disk, and the light will become less intense, but total darkness will not set in. The European Space Agency plans to broadcast this event from Spain to show it to those who will not be in the total eclipse zone, and the exact time of the event for different regions can be tracked through specialized astronomical services.
According to the ESA, this eclipse will be the first one visible from mainland Spain since the early 20th century, and it will kick off a series of several similar celestial events expected in the coming years. CNN reports this.
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