Partial solar eclipse over the northern hemisphere

This content was published on Jun 10, 2021 – 5:39 PM
Jun 10, 2021-5:39 PM

(AFP)

Residents of the Northern Hemisphere were able to enjoy, this Thursday (10), a partial solar eclipse that covered a distance of nearly 500 kilometers from Canada to Siberia, passing through Europe.

At the height of the so-called annular eclipse, the Moon slowly slid in front of the Sun, leaving a thin ring of light behind its black disk, called the “Ring of Fire”.

This landscape is assigned to a small number of residents of the highest latitudes, northwest of Canada, the far north of Russia, northwest of Greenland.

Above Kanak in Greenland, the northernmost city in the globe, disc concealment has reached about 90%.

The phenomenon was also evident, albeit only partially, in North America, parts of Europe, and northern Asia.

The curious had to protect their eyes with special glasses or observe the event with a projection, since looking directly at the sun can cause irreversible burns to the retina.

In London, where the moon has hidden 20% of the sun, observers can see the eclipse through clouds.

It is the first solar eclipse of the year 2021 and the sixteenth of the twenty-first century. This astronomical phenomenon occurs when the Earth, Moon, and Sun are perfectly aligned.

If the eclipse occurs when the Moon is at the farthest point on its path around the Earth, its apparent diameter is smaller and the eclipse is annular, leaving a visible ring of light.

A total eclipse, in which a portion of the planet is briefly plunged into darkness, occurs when the Moon is closest and its apparent diameter is equal to or greater than the diameter of the Sun as seen from Earth.

The next total eclipse will occur on December 4th, but it will only be visible from Antarctica.