A solar eclipse in the sky of the northern hemisphere

Published on : 06/10/2021 – 5:36 PM

The Moon slipped slowly in front of the Sun, to transform it for a few minutes into a thin luminous ring, like a “ring of fire” in the June sky. This solar eclipse, which traveled a strip of about 500 km from Canada to Siberia, via Europe, only a few lucky inhabitants of the highest latitudes were able to observe it, Thursday, June 10, from the north -western Canada, the far north of Russia, the northwest of Greenland or even the North Pole.

A sight also visible, but only partially, in the northwest of North America, much of Europe, including France and Great Britain, as well as part of northern North America. Asia.

The phenomenon lasted about two hours, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in mainland France, with a maximum between 11:55 a.m. and 12:20 p.m.

This is the first annular eclipse of the year 2021, and the sixteenth of the XXI^e century. This astronomical phenomenon occurs during the New Moon period, when Earth, Moon and Sun are perfectly aligned.

If the apparent diameter of the Moon is less than that of the Sun, part of the crown of fire remains visible. A total eclipse, which briefly plunges part of the planet into darkness, occurs when the diameter of the Moon exactly matches that of the Sun, as seen from Earth. This phenomenon, more rare, was notably observable from France in August 1999.

With AFP