Solar Eclipse Ushers in Spring in Europe
March 20, 2015
On the first day of spring, darkness crept over much of Europe and parts of Africa and Asia in the middle of the day, and then retreated as quickly as it had come. The moon had briefly blocked out the sun, resulting in a spectacular solar eclipse.
The moon blocks part of the sun during a solar eclipse, as seen over a statue in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Credit: AP Photo
A solar eclipse happens when the moon’s shadow sweeps across the face of Earth. The shadow usually moves from west to east across Earth, and at a speed of about 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) per hour. The dark moon appears on the western edge of the sun and moves slowly across the sun.
Most people in Europe and Africa experienced a partial solar eclipse, with the moon only covering part of the sun. A total solar eclipse, wherein the moon covers the entire sun, can be seen only in the path of totality, the path along which the moon’s shadow passes across Earth. The path of totality is never wider than about 170 miles (274 kilometers). For today’s solar eclipse, the Faroe Islands and Svalbard in the North Atlantic Ocean were in the path of totality, treating locals and visitors in those areas to a total solar eclipse.
This solar eclipse was particularly special because it occurred on the same day as the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. An equinox is either of two moments each year when the sun is directly above Earth’s equator. Because cycles in astronomy often act within other cycles, the next eclipse on an equinox will come relatively soon: March 20, 2034.
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