Solar eclipse, supermoon and spring equinox to coincide for extremely rare celestial treat


July 12 2014: The supermoon rises over houses in Olvera, in the southern Spanish province of Cadiz. Occurring when a full moon coincides with the closest approach the moon makes to the Earth, the supermoon results in a larger-than-usual appearance....



On Friday 20 March, parts of the UK (mostly Scotland) will see around 95% of the sun's light blocked out by the moon.

The last time the UK saw a solar eclipse was on 11 August 1999. This was the first total solar eclipse visible from the UK for over 70 years.

However, this solar eclipse will coincide with two other events – the perigee moon and the spring equinox.

Total eclipse

The total eclipse will best be viewed from the Faroe Islands in the Pacific, where 100% of the sun's light will be obscured for two minutes and 12 seconds.

The area of totality – where the total eclipse can be observed – lies within a wide corridor that sweeps across the Northern Atlantic, North Sea and Norwegian Sea. Other than the Faroe Islands, very few landmasses lie in the path. In the UK, the Isle of Lewis will see 98% coverage at 9.36am, while the Shetland Islands will see 97% coverage at 9.43am.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes in front of the sun – the type of solar eclipse event (total, partial or annular) depends on the distance of the moon from our planet during the event. A total eclipse is where the Earth intersects the umbra portion of the moon's shadow.

Supermoon

Supermoons are more common than total eclipses. Also known as a perigee moon, they take place when the full or new moon is at its closest point to Earth, meaning the moon appears larger than normal. On the other end of the scale, an apogee moon is where the moon is at its farthest point from Earth. March's perigee moon will take place on 19 March, the day before the solar eclipse. The perigee moon is what causes the total eclipse.

The next supermoon will not appear until July but the best of the year will appear in September, when the moon will come within 356,877km of Earth.

Spring equinox

Spring equinox takes place on or around 20 March every year. It is where Earth's axis will be perpendicular to the sun, after which it will start moving over making the days longer in the Northern Hemisphere.

Although this has no impact on the other two events, it is extremely rare that they take place on the same day. The next time a solar eclipse will happen on 20 March will be 2053 and 2072.

The eclipse will start at around 08:45 on Friday and is due to last for a couple of hours.

It should be visible in much of the UK.

will be in bed after a hard works night so wont see it

im off today, so will see it...bet it's cloudy...lol

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'Breathtaking' solar eclipse witnessed by millions

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Stargazing Live's Liz Bonnin watched the eclipse from a plane

Millions of people in the UK and northern Europe have glimpsed the best solar eclipse in years.

A great swathe of the Earth's surface was plunged into darkness as the Moon came between us and the Sun.

From an aeroplane above the Faroe Islands, a BBC camera crew captured startling footage of the event reaching totality at 09:41 GMT.

The deep shadow formed first in the North Atlantic and then swept up into the Arctic, ending at the North Pole.

Brilliant beads
People keen to catch a glimpse of the rare phenomenon were advised not to look directly at it.

Looking directly at the Sun can cause serious harm, and skywatchers were directed to the multiple ways to catch an eclipse safely and in comfort.

In all parts of the UK, the eclipse reached at least 83%, with the darkness peaking at about 09:35 GMT. The precise timing and degree of the eclipse varied with location.

For the Shetland Islands, the eclipse was at its height at 09:43 GMT and was very near total, with 97% of the Sun's disc obscured by the Moon.

For those caught under cloudy skies, the internet was a good option to see the eclipse.

Scientific agencies had planes and even satellites gathering video to relay on the web and on television.

In the UK, the weather turned out to be slightly better than anticipated, with clouds breaking in many places at just the right time. London and the South East, on the other hand, just saw their grey day get slightly gloomier.
Experiencing a genuine total eclipse required a trip north of the British Isles - such as the flight taken by a BBC camera crew and Stargazing Live's Liz Bonnin, above the clouds in the Faroes.

"We have a pretty spectacular view," Bonnin said. "This is extraordinary."

That footage revealed interesting features of the eclipse, including a clear view of "Baily's beads". These are the sparkles of light seen at the very edge of the Moon, where its rugged landscape allows the last rays of sunlight to peak through before full obscuration.

Few land areas were directly in the path of the Moon's deepest shadow - its so-called umbra - and seabirds probably had the some of the most dramatic eclipse experiences.

The period of greatest darkness - nearly three minutes - occurred over a spot in the Norwegian Sea, a little below the Arctic Circle, at 09:46 GMT.

Many professional and amateur astronomers positioned themselves in the Faroe Islands, where the capital city of Torshavn got totality for a full two minutes, beginning just before 09:41 GMT.

And those who could not book a flight or a hotel for the Faroes went to Svalbard, where the capital city of Longyearbyen witnessed two and a half minutes of totality, starting shortly after 10:10 GMT.

was cloudy here didnt see it

I did not see it lol

i did kind off//lol