https://xkcd.com/2914

Alt text:

A partial eclipse is like a cool sunset. A total eclipse is like someone broke the sky.

  • mononomi@feddit.nl
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    8 months ago

    Now I looked up the next total eclipse in europe. Spain 12 August 2026 here I come!

    Btw, is a total eclipse that different from an annular eclipse? Anybody got tips on what to do?

    • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
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      8 months ago

      An annular eclipse happens when the moon is farther out, making it appear smaller than the sun. So when it covers it, you still see a ring of sun. Cool, but not spectacular. You need special glasses for sun viewing the entire time. It looks like so:

      A total solar eclipse is when the moon is closer and appears as large or larger than the sun, completely blocking it. This creates a temporary night-like environment for a small section of the earth. It also makes it so that you can view the sun’s outer atmosphere, which extends away from the sun in ghostly white outcroppings. This is always there, but the sun’s surface is so bright it usually drowns it out. It appears about as bright as a full moon, viewable with the naked eye. The moon itself becomes absolutely, mesmerizingly black. Even very-science minded persons have described it as a religious experience

    • NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de
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      8 months ago

      in an annular eclipse you don’t get the “someone broke the sky” thing. It basically means there’s always bits of the sun sticking out from around the moon.

      Edit: so bascially the whole spike in the middle of the graph is gone

    • invisiblegorilla@sh.itjust.works
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      8 months ago

      I think the problem with this one was how close it was to to sunset.

      Global Event: Total Solar Eclipse, in Spain

      Start of Partial: Wed, 12 Aug 2026, 19:30 CEST

      Start of Totality: Wed, 12 Aug 2026, 20:26 CEST

      End of Totality: Wed, 12 Aug 2026, 20:33 CEST

      End of Partial: Wed, 12 Aug 2026, 20:46 WEST

      Sunset:

      • 20:49 - Wednesday, August 12, 2026 (GMT+2)