Gigglebit: Solar eclipse of 20 March 2015 (infographic)

18 Mar 2015

Gigglebit is Siliconrepublic’s daily dose of the funny and fantastic in science and tech, to help start your day on a lighter note.

Most stargazers in Europe are in for a treat on Friday morning (weather permitting), when they will be able to see the majority of a total solar eclipse, or, a partial solar eclipse. The eclipse starts at 7.41am UTC and ends at 11.50am UTC.

This infographic from Greatamericaneclipse.com illustrates the path of the total solar eclipse, revealing just how visible the event will be in various cities across Europe.

During the eclipse, the moon will pass in front of the sun as seen from Earth, blocking a significant part of the sun’s light.

On Friday, 100pc of the sun’s disc will be obscured over Norway’s Svalbard Islands, SpaceRef reports, 97pc of the sun’s disc will be obscured over the north of Scotland, 84pc over London, 81pc over The Hague, 75pc over Paris, 65pc over Madrid and 56pc over Rome.

Eclipse watchers are urged to exercise safety precautions – do not look directly at the sun.

Solar eclipse in Catalonia image via Shutterstock

Tina Costanza was a journalist and sub-editor at Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com