A solar eclipse was visible across parts of the Northern Hemisphere on Wednesday, drawing millions of people to Iceland and northern Spain, where the phenomenon appeared as a total eclipse, according to CNN Brasil.
The event was billed as the event of the century and was the first total solar eclipse visible from Europe in 27 years. In Spain, organizers expected around 6 million people to visit the region along the eclipse's path, which was forecast to end at 4:57 p.m. Brasília time.
The path of totality crossed northern Russia, parts of the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland and Spain. Outside that narrow band, other locations were able to watch the Sun partially covered by the Moon.
Crowds gather in Spain and Iceland
In Spain, where totality was expected to run from roughly 2:30 p.m. to 3:46 p.m. Brasília time, large crowds gathered on a beach in Arija in the north of the country to watch the phenomenon.
In Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, a storm moving in from the North Atlantic threatened to block the view of totality. Even under cloudy skies, thousands of people were seen gathering to try to watch the eclipse. Around 80,000 visitors were expected in the country, where the eclipse was forecast to begin at 5:48 p.m. local time, or 1:48 p.m. Brasília time.
France queues for eclipse glasses
Over the previous two days, huge lines formed across France as people rushed to buy certified eclipse glasses ahead of what was described as a historic event. After Wednesday, France is not expected to see another total solar eclipse until 2081.
In Paris, the eclipse was expected to reach 92.2% coverage at 8:17 p.m. local time, with the peak varying across France from 89.9% in Strasbourg to nearly 98% in Toulouse, according to NASA.
In central Paris, in the Invalides neighborhood, hundreds of people spread out across a lawn to wait for the eclipse to begin.
Eclipse timeline
According to the schedule reported in Brasília time, the partial eclipse began at 12:34 p.m., counting from the first point on Earth where the partial phase became visible. Totality began at 1:58 p.m., and the point of maximum eclipse occurred at 2:46 p.m. Totality ended at 3:34 p.m., and the shadow completed its path with the end of the partial eclipse at 4:57 p.m.
These times vary depending on the observer's location, since the Moon's shadow moves across the Earth's surface as the eclipse progresses.
Where the eclipse was total
Only observers within the narrow path of totality saw the Sun completely covered by the Moon. Elsewhere, the eclipse appeared only partial. The countries where the eclipse was visible, with times as reported in Brasília time, were:
- Greenland: total eclipse approximately 2:07 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.
- Iceland: total eclipse 1:42 p.m. to 3:49 p.m.
- Spain: total eclipse approximately 2:30 p.m. to 3:46 p.m.
- Portugal: total eclipse approximately 2:30 p.m. to 4:42 p.m.
- United Kingdom: partial eclipse 1:59 p.m. to 4:10 p.m.
- France: partial eclipse 2:18 p.m. to 4:16 p.m.
- Germany: partial eclipse 2:11 p.m. to 4:03 p.m.
- Italy: partial eclipse 2:24 p.m. to 3:46 p.m.
- Ireland: partial eclipse 2:08 p.m. to 4:09 p.m.
- Morocco: partial eclipse 2:44 p.m. to 4:40 p.m.
What is a total solar eclipse
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and casts its shadow over part of the planet. During a total eclipse, observers within a specific band on the Earth's surface see the Moon completely cover the Sun's disc. For a few minutes, the sky darkens and the corona, the outermost region of the Sun's atmosphere, becomes visible. Observers outside the path of totality but still within the area reached by the Moon's partial shadow see only a partial eclipse.
