The Moon’s shadow swept across Europe, and millions of people watched a total solar eclipse. Next year, similar events will occur twice more, but in other parts of the world. One will produce a bright ring around the dark silhouette, while the other will bring the longest period of darkness of the entire century. One of them will also be visible from Ukraine.
How August 12 Unfolded
The path of totality began over northern Russia, covered Greenland and western Iceland, crossed the Atlantic, and ended over northern Spain. The Sun’s disk remained covered for the longest time in the area of the Denmark Strait, where darkness lasted 2 minutes 18 seconds.
For mainland Spain, this was the first such event in more than a hundred years. The country’s authorities expected up to six million visitors within the path of the shadow, as Reuters reported, and residents of small towns greeted the disappearance of the solar disk with applause.
Clouds and rain interfered with observations for some people in Iceland. Where the sky remained clear, people were able to see the Sun’s corona with the naked eye.
Ring of Fire in February 2027
The next solar eclipse will occur on February 6, 2027, and will be entirely different in nature. The Moon will pass in front of the Sun while being slightly farther from Earth than usual, so its disk will be too small to cover the Sun completely. A bright rim will remain around the dark silhouette, known as a ring of fire.
This phase will be visible in Chile, Argentina, and along the coast of West Africa, according to Space.com. The partial phase will be visible across a much wider area, throughout South America and the western part of the African continent. In Ukraine, this phenomenon will not be visible.
The Longest Eclipse of the Century
Six months later, on August 2, 2027, the Moon’s shadow will pass across southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. At the point of greatest eclipse, darkness will last 6 minutes 23 seconds, nearly three times longer than the maximum duration this summer.
Eclipse hunters are already planning their trips in advance, since cloud cover is rare in North Africa at the end of summer. This combination of long duration and a high probability of clear skies has attracted amateur astronomers from around the world.
What Will Be Visible in Ukraine
On August 12, residents of Ukraine saw only a small partial phase, and even that occurred during the final minutes before sunset. The best conditions were in Volyn, while in the capital the Moon covered only a few percent of the solar disk.
A year later, conditions will be different. According to calculations by astronomical services, on August 2, 2027, about 39% of the area of the solar disk will be covered in Odesa, approximately 35% in Lviv, about 27% in Kyiv, and around 23% in Kharkiv. The maximum phase in the capital will occur at about 12:34, while the phenomenon will last from 11:38 to 13:30.
Observing conditions will be much more convenient than this August because the maximum phase will occur around midday, when the Sun will be high above the horizon and will not be obscured by trees or buildings. Protective filters will be required throughout the entire eclipse because most of the solar disk will remain uncovered.
It will still be a long time before a completely covered Sun can be seen from Ukrainian territory. The path of totality will cross the country only on April 20, 2061.
