A solar eclipse swept across the North Atlantic on Wednesday, August 12, showing as a deep partial eclipse over Denmark while totality fell on Iceland, Spain and East Greenland.
Avisen Danmark, publishing a report from the news agency Ritzau, said the eclipse was close to total in Iceland. That account was based on images broadcast by TV 2.
According to the news agency AFP, cited in the same report, thick cloud cover spoiled the view in Reykjavik. Thousands of spectators in the Icelandic capital were unable to see the Sun disappear behind the Moon.
In Denmark, between 86 and 88 percent of the solar disk was covered, depending on location. Ritzau described it as a partial eclipse, but the most pronounced one seen from Denmark in many years. The further northwest in the country, the greater the coverage on Wednesday.
The path of totality followed a narrow belt stretching from the Arctic and out across the Atlantic. Besides Iceland, the eclipse was total in Spain and in parts of Greenland, Portugal and Russia. Photographs distributed by Ritzau Scanpix showed the eclipse over Henne Strand on Denmark’s west coast.
How the eclipse works
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and casts its shadow on Earth. This can only happen at new moon, when the Moon’s lit side faces away from us.
The Sun is about 400 times larger than the Moon, yet the two appear almost the same size in the sky. That is because the Sun also lies about 400 times farther away. This coincidence makes it possible for the Moon to cover the Sun completely.
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There are at least two and at most five solar eclipses somewhere on Earth each year, according to the Ritzau report. Total eclipses at the same location are far rarer. On average, roughly 375 years pass between two total solar eclipses at the same spot.
The last total solar eclipse in Denmark took place in 1851. The next one is expected in 2148, Ritzau reported.
Billed as a rare viewing event
Ahead of Wednesday, The Local Denmark listed the eclipse as a major astronomical event for people in Denmark. In its August 8 preview, the outlet noted that no similarly visible eclipse from Denmark is expected until 2039. That figure refers to visibility from Denmark and is separate from the 2148 date for a total eclipse.
Visibility on the day depended on local conditions, and cloud cover is a recurring factor in Danish weather. In Reykjavik, cloud blocked the view of totality, per AFP.
