Astronomy fans have a new appointment. This Tuesday, October 25, comes a spectacular visual phenomenon in barcelona and part of the eastern, northern and northwestern regions of Spain: the Moon will cover a part of the Sun during noon and a partial solar eclipse.
An eclipse occurs when there is a perfect alignment (or almost) of the Sun, the Moon and the Earth itself. If one is given Sun-Earth-Moon alignmentit is our satellite that enters the shadow of the Earth and we have a lunar eclipse. if the alignment is Sun-Moon-Earthit is the moon that leaves us in the shadow and a Sun eclipse.
more than 4 hours
Unlike a total solar eclipse, in which the Moon completely blocks the light from this satellite, causing momentary darkness, the eclipse on October 25 will be partial, covering close to the Sun. 82% of the solar disk. That is, the sun will be seen crescent shaped and you will have one Approximate duration of 244 minutes (just over 4 hours).
This eclipse can only be viewed on the most of Europe, western Asia, and northeast Africa and it is estimated that the start of the astronomical phenomenon in Spain will be at 11:33 a.m. Peninsular timehaving his maximum apogee at 12.07 in Barcelona and ending almost at 12:43 p.m.after almost 70 minutes (just over an hour), according to the National Geographic Institute.
In Spain it will reach a maximum magnitude of 0.12 in Girona, 0.10 in Barcelona and below 0.10 in the rest of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Aragon, Navarra, La Rioja, the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and the north of the Valencian Community and Castilla y León.
In Barcelona, the prediction indicates that it will not be very difficult to see, since there will be little cloudiness (between 12 and 17%).
Some associations have arranged systems to follow it live, such as the Montsec Astronomical Park.
Follow the partial eclipsi of the Sun live from the Parc Astronòmic! 🔭🌞
🔜 Tuesdays, October 25, from 11:30 a.m., on our Instagram:
🤞 As long as the weather conditions allow.@Ajuntament_Ager @aralleida pic.twitter.com/2g35tZxsIL
— Montsec Astronomical Park (@parcastronomic) October 23, 2022
121 years
Every year we have a minimum of two solar eclipsesbeing able to reach, in exceptional cases, a a maximum of five. The next day 25 will be the second and last partial eclipse of the yearafter the one that took place on April 30.
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To see a total eclipse of the Sun, we will still have to wait almost four years, until on August 12, 2026, late in the afternoon. Spain has been since 1905 without witnessing a total eclipse of the Sun, that is, when the star king is completely covered by the Moon and, therefore, it becomes night in full day. After so much waiting, Spain will be able to enjoy in this same decade three great eclipses of the sun in consecutive years. The first will be in 2026 and the next, in 2027. But, in addition, in 2028 there will be another, this annular type, equally exceptional. It will undoubtedly be the ‘decade of solar eclipses‘for our country.
The first, on August 2026, will be visible along a 290-kilometre-wide strip that could include cities such as A Coruña, Gijón, Oviedo, Santander, Valladolid, Vitoria, Zaragoza, Valencia, Castellón, Tarragona and the Balearic Islands. Both Madrid and Barcelona will fall outside the totality band by very little, which will not prevent the phenomenon from continuing to be spectacular.