Total eclipse of Sun will take place today: From which parts of the country will it be seen?

A total solar eclipse will take place today, which unfortunately will not be visible from Armenia. It can be seen only from the west of Europe, from North America, from the northern part of South America, from the Arctic, informs the Byurakan Օbservatory.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, partially or completely covering the disk of the Sun for an observer on Earth. Depending on its position relative to Earth and its distance from Earth, the Moon can completely cover the Sun, in which case you witness a total eclipse, or only part of it (a partial eclipse).

The eclipse on Earth will begin at 16:38 GMT (20:38 Yerevan time) and end at 1955 GMT (23:55 Yerevan time), that is, it will last a total of 3 hours, 16 minutes and 45 seconds. In North America, it will be visible only from an area 185 km wide.

A total solar eclipse occurs on average once every 18 months. There are also annular eclipses, when the Moon partially covers the Sun and the Sun's outer ring is visible (this year is expected on October 2), and partial eclipses are more common.

In general, 2-4 eclipses are observed annually in different parts of the Earth. However, since eclipses (especially total eclipses) are observed in a very narrow band and cover a small part of the Earth's area, an eclipse is a very rare phenomenon in a given location. It is calculated that a total eclipse of the Sun can be observed at a given location on Earth once every 300 years.