An impending solar eclipse adopts a circular shape.
Solar eclipses are pretty amazing phenomena. There's usually two a year, but only certain places can see 'em.
Make that twice a year, the sun gets blocked out by a solar eclipse. About two weeks later, you might get a lunar eclipse, or vice versa. So they're not as scarce as you'd think - internationally, at least. But since they're only visible from specific areas, they're all the more special.
Guess what? October 2nd isn't one of those days you'll see an annular solar eclipse from Germany. It starts south of Hawaii, skims over the Pacific, hits the tip of South America, then splashes down in the South Atlantic.
At 6:54 PM Central European Time, the moon'll float in front of the sun and block a big chunk of it. It'll be almost 407,000 kilometers away - kind of the opposite of a "supermoon" - and look pretty small. The dark moon disc won't cover the sun completely, leaving a bright border around it. And the annular solar eclipse won't end until 10:34 PM.
So when can we next witness a solar eclipse in Germany?
Germany had a partial solar eclipse on October 25, 2022. And when's the next one coming to town? Not too long from now. Mark your calendars for March 29, 2025. The sun will get at least partially covered over Germany then.
If you're feeling extra lucky, the August 12, 2026 solar eclipse could be even more impressive, with a 90% coverage. To get the full monty, though, you'll need to vamoose to Spain. Germany's next total solar eclipse won't stretch our sky until September 3, 2081.
This info was initially dropped on wetter.de.
Despite the annual occurrence of solar eclipses, witnessing one from Germany is a rare event. The annular solar eclipse on October 2, 2022, for instance, was visible only in specific locations, missing Germany altogether.
As for future sightings in Germany, mark your calendars for March 29, 2025, when at least a portion of the sun will be covered during a partial solar eclipse.
