Skygazers in UK were in for a celestial treat on Friday as they witness a rare phenomenon of supermoon total solar eclipse.
Enthusiasts across Wales are getting ready to be treated to the best celestial show as the moon of the solar eclipse on Friday morning.
It’s a rare celestial occurrence when the moon will cover the sun, blocking out its light. It is also being seen as the biggest solar eclipse for 15 years, since the UK was plunged into darkness in 1999 and until 2026.
The equinox eclipse is expected to cause power disruption in a massive way across the nation since 35,000 MW of power will be lost as people witness the rare phenomenon.
The solar eclipse will take place at around 8.45am GMT. Totality would be visible this time along a track a few hundred kilometres wide, which only intersects two landmasses, the Faroe Islands midway between Scotland and Iceland, and the arctic archipelago of Svalbard. Observers in those locations would see between two and two-and-a-half minutes of totality.
Away from the path of the total eclipse the Sun would only be partly obscured by the Moon. This time the partial eclipse would be visible across a large part of the northern hemisphere, including the whole of Europe, Greenland, Newfoundland, northern Africa and western Asia.
However, the rare celestial event will not be visible in India and US much to the disappointment of stargazers.
Total solar eclipses take place when the Earth, Moon and Sun are almost precisely aligned and the shadow of the Moon touches the surface of the Earth.
How to observe the eclipse?
According to experts, one should use special protective lenses, camera, telescope filters and other methods in order to safely watch the eclipse. Another simple way to view a solar eclipse is to use pinhole projection. One can also use an approved solar filter.
Watch the eclipse live:
Astro enthusiasts can watch the live feed of the eclipse on the Internet-based space-tracking service. Slooh Space Camera website will live stream the eclipse online starting at 4.30am ET (8.45am GMT).
