Rare Total Solar Eclipse Sweeps Across Europe and the UK

Millions of skygazers across the United Kingdom and parts of Europe gathered on Wednesday evening to witness a rare total solar eclipse, turning day into night across parts of the continent.

The celestial phenomenon began over northern Russia before sweeping across Greenland, Iceland, and Western Europe, with the Moon obscuring over 90 percent of the Sun’s disc across major portions of the UK.

In Spain which witnessed its first total solar eclipse in over a century tourists and astronomy enthusiasts flooded rural towns along the path of totality to view the event. In Edinburgh, Scotland, crowds gathered at Calton Hill as the partial eclipse reached its peak early Wednesday evening.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, blocking solar rays and casting a shadow across designated paths on Earth.

Health and safety experts issued warnings cautioning viewers against looking directly at the Sun without certified solar protection glasses to avoid severe visual impairment. Meanwhile, international scientific teams utilized the rare event to study the Sun’s outer corona during totality.