This Saturday an astronomical phenomenon is repeated that always captures attention. The moon will pass in front of the sun, so that the shadow of our satellite will be screened on the earth for just over three hours. It will not be a Total solar eclipsebut it will approach a lot and will be visible from the northern hemisphere of the planet.
The moon will block to the 94 % of the Sun, but that is not what all those who walk for this hemisphere of the planet will see. Depending on the location of each one, the Moon will cover a greater or lesser percentage and the phenomenon will be more or less spectacular to see. To contemplate it in its entirety, it will have to be in Greenland or Canada.
This partial solar eclipse can be seen from parts of North America, Europe, Africa, northern Asia, some regions of South America, throughout Greenland and Iceland, as well as in large part of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. In Western Europe, the eclipse will begin between mid -morning and about noon.
What is the percentage of this Saturday’s solar eclipse?
In Spainwill begin to be appreciated After 10 in the morning. In Santa Cruz de Tenerifeat 10:15 (peninsular time, 09:15 there), in Madrid at 10:48 and in La Coruña at 10:45 hours; will last 213 minutes or 3 hours and 33 minutes.
NASA has published a Eclipse map in which the hours in which it begins and the percentage of sun that will hide the moon in each latitude are collected. On this map, which heads the article and is available at a higher resolution in this link, The yellow curved lines show that percentage during the maximum of the eclipse in those places. The green lines show the moment when the maximum eclipse will occur in the places along those lines. The hours are placed according to the schedule UTC (Coordinated universal time), so in the case of Spain one must be added. The orange loops are the lines of dawn and sunset.
The eclipse will be more or less spectacular from the peninsula depending on whether one is more northwest or southeast. From the Balearic Islandsyou will see how the moon hides the sun in a percentage somewhat higher than the 10 %that in the Mediterranean coast exceeds the 15 %.
TO half of the peninsulain provinces such as Seville, Madrid, Navarra and others, the Sun will be eclipsed around 20 %. And those who will have it will be those who are in Galiciawhere the 30 %.
It should be remembered that, if observed, it must always be with adequate protection and never look at it directly. That protection is not sunglassesbut specific solar filters that must be placed on the front of the type of optics used To avoid eye damage.