Partial Solar Eclipse to Sweep Across Northern Hemisphere, Starting in Morocco

A solar eclipse occurs when the sun, moon and earth are aligned. The phenomenon will take place this Saturday between 08:50 GMT (09:50 in Paris) and 12:43 GMT (13:43 in Paris).

"The first continentals to see it will be the inhabitants of Mauritania and Morocco and the last ones those of Northern Siberia," explains in a statement to the press Florent Deleflie, astronomer at the Paris-PSL Observatory, in charge for France of the calculation of ephemerides.

According to the Time-Space Laboratory of the Observatory, the partial solar eclipse will also be visible in Europe and will reach its maximum at 10:47 GMT (11:47 Paris time) above the Northeast of Canada and Greenland. In metropolitan France, it will be visible between 10:00 and 12:00 GMT (11:00 and 13:00 in Paris).

Observing even a partial eclipse requires the use of adapted glasses, the astronomer reminds, recommending to "get new eclipse-specific glasses", as naked-eye observation can cause burns and vision loss.