Solar eclipse on Europe

2001/01/19 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Astronomia

Sun eclipses are not frequent and when they occur we are used to seeing images of eclipses taken from Earth. But in this case it is a photograph taken from the Mir space station.

On August 11, 1999, a solar eclipse occurred in Europe. From some villages a total eclipse of the Sun was observed, although from Euskal Herria a partial eclipse of the Sun was observed. In the eclipses of the Sun enter the moon, the Earth and the Sun and the shadow created by the Moon causes darkness.

Thus the Earth is seen at the time of the eclipse. The shadow of the Moon stands out clearly on the earth's surface. This shadow crosses the Earth at 2,000 kilometers per hour. Spectators who are in the middle of the shadow will see the total eclipse and others will see the partial eclipse of the sun.

Today it is customary and easy to predict eclipses, but formerly eclipses have altered people and conditioned the future of empires. The next total eclipse of the Sun will take place on June 21, 2001, but will only be visible from South America and Africa.