Supermoon total eclipse of equinox sun on March 20
Eclipse photo at top via NASA
On March 20 – same date as the 2015 March equinox – the moon turns new only 14 hours after reaching lunar perigee – moon’s closest point to Earth in its orbit. Thus this moon is a supermoon – at the new phase – not visible in our sky, but having a larger-than-average effect on Earth’s oceans. Plus this new supermoon swings right in front of the equinox sun on March 20, so that the moon’s shadow falls on parts of Earth. Follow the links below to learn more.
Who will see the March 20 eclipse?
How to watch an eclipse safely
March 20 total eclipse times from land
March 20 partial eclipse times
Still not sure when to watch? Try these links
What causes a solar eclipse?
How often does a solar eclipse happen on the March equinox?
The
path of the total solar eclipse (in blue) starts to the south of
Greenland at sunrise and ends to the north of Greenland at sunset. A
much larger part of the word (Greenland, Europe, northern Africa, the
Middle East and northwestern Asia get to see a partial solar eclipse.
Image via NASA eclipse web site
A much larger swath of the world gets to see varying degrees of a partial solar eclipse (Greenland, Iceland, Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East and northwestern Asia). Eclipse times for partial eclipse below.
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Safely watching a solar eclipse via the projection method. Photo by Flickr user David.
The photo above shows one method for safely watching the partial phases of a solar eclipse: the projection method.
You can also view an eclipse safely through special eclipse glasses. Purchase eclipse glasses from the EarthSky store.
Click here for more details on how to watch a solar eclipse safely.
Big
fun in Austin, Texas at the May 20, 2012 solar eclipse when an EarthSky
employee passed out solar eclipse glasses at a local restaurant.
Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
Partial solar eclipse begins: 8:39 a.m. Western European Time (WET)
Total solar eclipse begins: 9:41 a.m. WET
Maximum eclipse: 9:42 a.m. WET
Total solar eclipse ends: 9:43 a.m. WET
Partial solar eclipse ends: 10:48 a.m. WET
Longyearbyen, Svalbard
Partial solar eclipse begins: 10:12 a.m. Central European Time (CET)
Total solar eclipse begins: 11:11 a.m. CET
Maximum eclipse: 11:12 a.m. CET
Total solar eclipse ends: 11:13 a.m. CET
Partial solar eclipse ends: 12:12 a.m. CET
Source: TimeandDate.com
Partial
eclipses are very beautiful, too. During the May 2012 eclipse, as the
moon nearly blotted out the sun, many saw dancing illuminated crescents
like these, created when the leaves of trees and bushes acted as pinhole
cameras and projected the eclipsed sun’s image onto cars and buildings.
This photo from Chris Walker in Dayton, Nevada.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Solar eclipse begins: 8:38 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
Greatest eclipse: 9:37 a.m. GMT
Solar eclipse ends: 10:39 a.m. GMT
Maximum obscuration of solar disk: 98%
London, England
Solar eclipse begins: 8:25 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
Greatest eclipse: 9:31 a.m. GMT
Solar eclipse ends: 10:41 a.m. GMT
Maximum obscuration of solar disk: 84%
Algiers, Algeria
Solar eclipse begins: 9:06 a.m. Central European Time (CET)
Greatest eclipse: 10:11 a.m. CET
Solar eclipse ends: 11:20 a.m. CET
Maximum obscuration of solar disk: 53%
Istanbul, Turkey
Solar eclipse begins: 10:53 p.m. Eastern European Time (EET)
Greatest eclipse: 11:57 a.m. EET
Solar eclipse ends: 1:02 p.m. EET
Maximum obscuration of solar disk: 32%
Moscow, Russia
Solar eclipse begins: 12:13 p.m. Moscow Standard Time (MST)
Greatest eclipse: 1:20 p.m. MST
Solar eclipse ends: 2:27 p.m. MST
Maximum obscuration of solar disk: 58%
Still not sure when to watch? Try these links
You can obtain specific information on the March 20 eclipse in your part of the world at the sites listed below. Be sure to watch whether the times are given in Universal Time, meaning you must convert Universal Time into your local time.
TimeandDate.com – gives eclipse times in local time
HM Nautical Almanac – eclipse animations for 534 localities
Interactive Google map – information is just a click away
Solar eclipse computer – courtesy of the US Naval observatory
When
the new moon closely aligns with one of its nodes, the moon’s dark
umbral shadow falls on Earth, presenting a total eclipse of the sun.
A solar eclipse happens whenever the new moon passes in front of the sun, and the moon’s shadow falls on our planet. A solar eclipse is only possible at new moon because that’s the only time whereby the moon to go in front of the sun, as seen from Earth. Most of the time, however, the new moon either swings north or south of the solar disk, so no eclipse of the sun takes place.
The plane of the moon’s orbit around Earth is inclined at 5o to the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the sun. For half the month, the moon orbits Earth to the north of the ecliptic (Earth’s orbital plane); and for the other half of the month, the moon orbits Earth to the south of the ecliptic (Earth’s orbital plane). Twice a month, however, the moon crosses the Earth’s orbital plane at points called nodes. If the moon is traveling from north to south, it’s called a descending node, and when it’s going from south to north, it’s called an ascending node.
When a new moon happens while the moon is appreciably close to one of its nodes, a solar eclipse is not only possible – but inevitable. It’s not a perfect alignment, though, as the moon reaches its descending node about 17 hours after the moon turns new. However, the new moon happens close enough to its node for the moon’s dark umbral shadow to clip the northern reaches of the globe and for a total solar eclipse to take place at along a semi-circle path at far-northerly latitudes.
Want more? Try this NASA video:
Bottom line: On March 20, 2015 the larger-than-average new supermoon swings right in front of the sun to totally block out the solar disk. Although you have to be at the just right spot on Earth to witness this total eclipse of the sun (Faroe Islands and the Svalbard archipelago), a much larger swath of the world gets to see varying degrees of a partial solar eclipse (Greenland, Iceland, Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East and northwestern Asia). Remember to use proper eye protection!
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