Saturday 21 March 2015

Awesome photos from Europe's biggest solar eclipse

ESA's Sun-watching Proba-2 minisatellite had a ringside seat of the solar eclipse from orbit. Its SWAP imager views the solar disc at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths to capture the turbulent surface of the sun and its swirling corona(Image: ESA)
Umbraphiles all over the country headed outside for the biggest UK solar eclipse in 16 years. Some were
rewarded with spectacular views, while those of us who ventured out of the New Scientist office in cloudy London only saw the sky go gloomy – though some confused birds did start singing. I was in a London park, where I heard an Australian remark, "this is the most English thing ever: going outside to look at clouds".
The European Space Agency beat the clouds and got this awesome image from its Proba 2 satellite.
The eclipse was first since 1662 to coincide with the spring equinox, and traced a path over the Arctic. This is what was seen from Svalbard during totality, when the moon completely blocked the sun.
Total eclipse at Svalbard, Norway(Image: EPA/OLAV JON NESVOLD)
The editor of New Scientist headed to the Faroe Islands, where the eclipse was also total.
People watch in darkness on a hill overlooking Torshavn, capital of the Faroe Islands(Image: AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

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