The Solar Eclipse20 March 2015

Image - "Solar eclipse 1999 4 NR" by I, Luc Viatour

9:35 am

Our planet, Earth, orbits the Sun once every year – a little over 365 days.

Image - "Earth Eastern Hemisphere" by NASA

Our Moon orbits the Earth once every 27.3 days.

Image - "Phases of the moon NO.16" by 阿爾特斯 - Own work

On rare occasions the Earth, Moon and the Sun are in just the right position for the Moon to block the Sun’s light from reaching the Earth’s surface. This is called a solar eclipse.

Only certain places on Earth will be able to see a total solar eclipse.

More places will see a partial eclipse.

Bottom image - "Partial solar eclipse Oct 23 2014 Minneapolis 5-36pm Ruen1" by Tomruen - Own work.

Top image - "Solar eclipse 1999 4 NR" by I, Luc Viatour

Today’s eclipse

8:30amPartial eclipse begins

9:35amMaximum eclipse

10:44amPartial eclipse ends

90.8%

Viewing a solar eclipse and looking at the Sun is dangerous. Remember that you should never look directly at the Sun as it can seriously damage your eyes.

"The Sun by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory - 20100819" by NASA/SDO (AIA)

21 Aug 2017 – Partial Eclipse

10 June 2021 – Partial Eclipse

29 March 2025 – Partial Eclipse

The next total eclipse viewable from the UK is 23 September 2090.

Future eclipsesvisible from the UK

Today’s eclipse20 March 2015 – Partial Eclipse

Lunar Eclipses

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon is in the Earth’s shadow. These are more common than solar eclipses and produce what is sometimes called a Blood Moon.

The next Lunar Eclipse viewable from the Northeast of England occurs on

28th September 2015.Image (left) – “Lunar Eclipse Diagram” – NASAImage (right) - "Lunar eclipse April 15 2014 California Alfredo Garcia Jr1" by Tomruen - [1].

Useful websites:General information regarding solar eclipses.http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/uk/newcastle-upon-tynehttp://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/solar.htmlhttps://www.ras.org.uk/education-and-careers/for-schools-and-teachershttp://www.met.reading.ac.uk/outreach/newex_2015/index.html

This is a video from American news channel ABC which shows footage of the 1999 solar eclipse. Please ensure you check the link works and watch the video prior to showing it to a group of children.http://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/aug-11-1999-total-solar-eclipse-14064567

Brian Cox’s film for The Wonders Of The Solar System shows the solar eclipse of 2009 in Varanasi, India. It might be useful if the skies are cloudy. Again make sure you watch the link before playing to a group.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOvWioz4PoQ

For specific details about celestial bodies use Wolfram Alpha to get exact numbers.http://www.wolframalpha.com/

If you have any other questions about the solar eclipse or anything science, drop us an email at:think.physics@northumbria.ac.uk