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Solar Eclipse Teases Skywatchers on Northern Islands

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The total solar eclipse seen from Svalbard, Norway on March 20, 2015.
The total solar eclipse seen from Svalbard, Norway on March 20, 2015.Haakon Mosvold Larsen—AP
By NBC News

LONGYEARBYEN, Norway — For the best view of the solar spectacle of the year, Svalbard eclipsed the Faroe Islands.

Skywatchers in the remote Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard popped champagne corks, oohed and aahed as they witnessed a total solar eclipse Friday under perfect weather conditions. A clear sky over the Arctic islands offered a full view of the sun’s corona—a faint ring of rays surrounding the moon—that is only visible during a total eclipse.

“I was just blown away. I couldn’t believe it,” said Hilary Castle, a 58-year-old visitor from London.

Meanwhile, a blanket of clouds…

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See the Best Solar Eclipse Pictures

Total Solar Eclipse 2015
The total solar eclipse seen from Svalbard, Norway on March 20, 2015. Olav Jon Nesvold—EPA
Total Solar Eclipse 2015
The sun through clouds during the maximun solar eclipse seen from the Jolimont observatory in Toulouse, France on March 20, 2015.Alain Pitton—Demotix/Corbis
Total Solar Eclipse 2015
A partial solar eclipse of the sun is visible in Rabat, Morocco on March 20, 2015. Abdelhak Senna—EPA
Total Solar Eclipse 2015
A total solar eclipse occurs over Svalbard, Norway on March 20, 2015.Haakon Mosvold Larsen—NTB Scanpix/Reuters
Total Solar Eclipse 2015
A dove is pictured in front of the sun during a partial solar eclipse in Munich on March 20, 2015.Alexander Hassenstein—Getty Images
Total Solar Eclipse 2015
A partial solar eclipse is seen through clouds in Sofia, Bugaria on March 20, 2015.Stoyan Nenov—Reuters
Total Solar Eclipse 2015
Partial Solar eclipse seen from Yorkshire, United Kingdom on March 20, 2015.Nigel Roddis—Rex USA
Total Solar Eclipse 2015
The moon passes between the sun and the earth after the totality phase of a total solar eclipse as from Torshavn, the capital of the Faeroe Islands on March 20, 2015. Matt Dunham—AP

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