‘Breathtaking’ solar eclipse witnessed by millions

The European Space Agency’s Proba satellite caught this view of the eclipse 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 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.People keen to catch a glimpse of the rare phenomenon were advised not to look directly at it.This is because even during the eclipse, looking directly at the Sun causes serious harm – but there are ways to watch the eclipse safelyand many people took the chance to do so.In all parts of the UK the eclipse reached at least 83% and the darkness peaked at about 09:35 GMT. The precise timing and degree of the eclipse varied with location.
For the Shetland Islands, the eclipse peaked at 09:43 GMT and was very near total, with 97% of the Sun’s disc obscured by the Moon.But views were restricted by cloud across much of the country, which will not see a solar eclipse on this scale again until 2026Experiencing a genuine total eclipse required a trip further north – such as the flight taken by a BBC camera operator above the clouds in the Faroes.That footage revealed interesting features of the eclipse including a clear view

of “Baily’s beads”. These are the bright glimmers of light seen at the very edge of the moon, where its rugged landscape allows the sunlight to peak through in some places.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 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. 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.’Eclipse wind’Irrespective of the cloud cover, scientists said citizens could still help them with their research.A University of Reading team wants to learn more about how the atmosphere

behaves as the Moon’s shadow runs over the Earth.Prof Giles Harrison explained: “This is the first big partial eclipse to happen in the UK since 1999, and the next one isn’t until August 2026, so this is a once-in-

a-generation opportunity.”By observing what happens on Friday we are effectively turning the skies of Britain into a giant weather lab, giving us a rare chance to see what happens

when you ‘turn down the Sun’.”This will give us a precious insight into how the Sun influences the clouds and

wind, as well as more obvious effects, such as temperature.”By improving our understanding of how the weather works, we’re better able

to predict it, meaning scientists can further improve weather forecasts.”One phenomenon the experiment hopes to investigate is the “eclipse wind”. This refers to changes in the breeze that eclipse observers have reported as

darkness falls.Oxford University scientists, meanwhile, are using the event to try to understand how eclipses affect electricity grids.

The deep shadow will have reduced the output from solar panels, which now supply a significant proportion of power needs right across Europe.The researchers will look to see how this dip in performance impacted the stability of grid networks.That will occur on 9 March, and will cross Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi, and extend out over the Pacific.