Watch the Solar Eclipse

2 minute read

Lucky skywatchers were able to spot Friday’s solar eclipse, when the moon passes between the earth and the sun, plunging parts of the world into darkness.

The best place to see the eclipse was in the Faroe Islands, 200 miles off the coast of Scotland, and in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, which was set to experience a total eclipse, reports the Guardian.

Starting in Greenland at sunrise, the eclipse moved in a semicircle northeast, passing over Iceland, and reached the U.K. at around 8:45 a.m. local time. But most of the solar eclipse was expected to go unseen as it crossed over the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.

Weather permitting, residents in Europe and northern Africa, western Asia and parts of the Middle East were able to enjoy a partial eclipse to varying degrees. St. John’s in Newfoundland Canada was expected to see a small part of the eclipse but the rest of North America won’t be able to experience it.

A solar eclipse can only happen when there is new moon, and Friday’s is set to be a supermoon, meaning the moon is the closest point to the earth in its orbit, making it appear much larger.

To complete the trio of celestial events, Friday also marks the spring equinox, the time of year when day and night are of equal length.

If you are lucky enough to observe the full or partial eclipse, experts advise not to look directly at the sun, especially when taking photographs or selfies.

[Guardian]

Read next: See the Best Solar Eclipse Pictures

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Write to Helen Regan at helen.regan@timeasia.com