The path of the solar eclipse across the North Atlantic
The path of the solar eclipse across the North Atlantic
The total eclipse of the Sun on 20 March 2015 will only be visible above the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean. Thousands of amateur astronomers and curious individuals will be hoping that the weather does not thwart their plans. The path of totality, or the core shadow (umbra) of the Moon (grey stripe), on the northern hemisphere shows that the solar eclipse can only be observed from a few places on dry land – the Faroe Islands, for example, or Spitsbergen. The central line indicates the trail of maximum duration, along which the coverage of the Sun will last the longest. The Sun will be close to the horizon, as 20 March marks the date of the start of astronomical spring and the end of the polar night.
The solar eclipse begins at 10:11 at longitude 45 degrees west, to the south of Greenland. The cone of the Moon's shadow then rapidly races towards the northeast. The eclipse can be observed for the longest period of time at 10:44 CET, around 300 kilometres south-southeast of Iceland; it will reach Spitsbergen at 11:09 CET and end shortly afterwards at the North Pole.
