The eclipse will be visible on Saturday (March 29) across Europe, western Africa, eastern North America and northern Asia.
The sun will shrink the most for Greenland and eastern Canada.
During a partial solar eclipse, the moon passes between the sun and Earth.
But the moon casts a shadow on Earth that only partly blocks the sun, making it appear like a crescent.
Unlike a total solar eclipse, there’s no totality, so experts say proper eye protection must be worn the whole time.
“Eclipses are just a game of light and shadow that are played by the sun, moon and Earth,” explains Auriane Egal with the Planetarium of Montréal.
“The partial eclipse will be visible in the whole Quebec province and in the north, and it’s also going to be visible in Western Europe and maybe northwestern part of Africa like in Morocco, for example.”
To see the eclipse, look on astronomy websites to see when it begins in your area.
The spectacle is slotted during sunrise for most of the Americas, late morning for western Europe and Africa and afternoon for eastern Europe and northern Asia.
During the eclipse, the sun will slowly slim to a crescent as the moon appears to cover it and the day may get dimmer.
“It will feel like a particularly cloudy day,” says Juan Carlos Muñoz-Mateos with the European Southern Observatory.
“You will still see like a very bright crescent moon-shaped thing, which is basically what remains of the sun.”
Check weather conditions before heading outside.
Clear skies away from tall buildings and city lights are best, especially in the Americas where the sun may be rising during the eclipse.
Grab eclipse glasses ahead of time to spot the sight safely through a local science museum or ordering online from a seller cleared on the American Astronomical Society’s website.
“During a partial solar eclipse, there is no stage at which looking at the eclipse is safe,” adds Muñoz-Mateos.
Viewers can also enjoy the spectacle through indirect ways such as making a pinhole projector using household materials.
Holding up a colander will produce a similar effect.
Peering at the ground under a shady tree can yield crescent shadows as the sunlight filters through branches and leaves.
Another total lunar eclipse and partial solar eclipse will return in September with the best solar eclipse views in Antarctica and New Zealand.
Solar and lunar eclipses happen anywhere from four to seven times a year, according to NASA.
Due to the moon’s tilted orbit around Earth, they tend to come in pairs: a total lunar eclipse turned the moon red mid-March.
AFRICANEWS
