The last partial solar eclipse of the 21st century
1- What Is a Partial Solar Eclipse?
Partial solar eclipses happen when the Moon comes between the Sun and Earth, but the Moon only partially covers the Sun's disk.
2- Solar eclipse of October 25, 2022
The sixteenth partial solar eclipse in the twenty-first century, and the second this year.
Today, Tuesday, the world is witnessing a partial solar eclipse that includes large areas of the northern hemisphere, in a phenomenon that lasts for two hours that will not lead to complete darkness, but those who wish to observe it must be careful.
The phenomenon begins Tuesday, at 08:58 GMT in Iceland, and ends at 13:02 GMT in India, passing through Europe, Northeast Africa, and the Middle East, according to the French Institute of Celestial Mechanics and the Paris Observatory’s ephemeris calculation.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned in a straight line. When the alignment is nearly perfect, the moon's shadow cone touches the Earth's surface and obstructs the entire solar disk, and the eclipse is complete.
But this time, the moon's shadow will not touch the Earth, and "it will not be possible to witness the complete disappearance of the sun's disk anywhere," according to the Paris Observatory, in a statement.
At the maximum expected eclipse over Kazakhstan, the sun will be 82.2 percent hidden, "but that will not be enough to cause darkness" in broad daylight, an astronomer at the Paris Observatory, Florent Delively, told AFP. "To start to feel the darkness in the sky, and perceive a kind of cold light, you need at least 95 percent opacity to the sun," he added.
Residents of the concerned areas will be able to see the eclipse provided that the weather is good, by looking at the sun with appropriate and new glasses, to avoid eye burns, or using magnifying tools (binoculars or telescopes) with a filter, available in the centers that will organize observations.
This is the 16th partial solar eclipse of the 21st century, and the second this year, and can be seen over the South Pacific. On the French mainland, the last partial eclipse dates back to June 10, 2021.
On August 12, 2026, a total eclipse will occur that will darken the solar disk by 92%, according to the Paris Observatory.