The Moon’s shadow swept across Europe and Greenland, and millions of people watched a total solar eclipse. Next year, similar phenomena will be repeated twice more, but in other parts of the world. One of them will be annular – a bright ring of the Sun will remain around the dark disk of the Moon. The second, on August 2, will be one of the longest total solar eclipses of the 21st century: the maximum duration of the total phase will exceed six minutes. We will be able to see this eclipse in Ukraine, although only as a partial one.
How August 12 Unfolded
The path of totality began over northern Russia, covered Greenland and western Iceland, crossed the North Atlantic and reached the Iberian Peninsula. Then it passed through northern and central Spain, reached the Mediterranean Sea and ended in the Balearic Islands. The disk of our star remained closed for the longest time in the area of the Denmark Strait, where the total phase lasted 2 minutes 18 seconds.
For mainland Spain, this was the first such event in more than a hundred years, the previous eclipse was observed there in 1905. 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. However, where the sky remained clear, people were able to see the solar corona — the Sun’s faint outer atmosphere, which becomes visible to the naked eye only during the total phase of the eclipse.
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, Uruguay and along the coast of West Africa, according to Space.com. A significant part of the strip will pass over the South Atlantic Ocean. 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. This will be the second longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century.
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 part of country only on April 20, 2061.
