SOLAR ECLIPSE FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2015
The first of the two solar eclipses expected in 2015 will occur on the morning of Friday, March 20, about 14 hours before the spring equinox, and will be visible as a partial eclipse even in Sardinia.
General visibility
The eclipse will be visible as total in a narrow band beyond the Arctic Circle, affecting the Faroe Islands and the Svalbard archipelago.
The eclipse will be observable as partial throughout Europe, in northwestern Africa, the Middle East, Russia, Iceland, and Greenland.
Sardinia will be the first region in Italy to see (weather permitting) the event, which will last about two hours and a quarter, with more than 50% of the solar disk obscured, with a slight advantage for the northern areas.
The moments of the phenomenon, in local time, for Cagliari and Sassari will be:
|
Start time
|
Maximum time
|
Percentage of disk obscured
|
Height above the horizon
|
End time
|
|
|
Cagliari
|
9h 16m 04s
|
10h 22m 14s
|
51,7%
|
41°
|
11h 32m 57s
|
|
Sassari
|
9h 17m 11s
|
10h 23m 52s
|
55,6%
|
40°
|
11h 35m 04s
|
For those who cannot go outside to witness the phenomenon, the European Space Agency offers an interesting alternative: observing the solar eclipse from images of the ESA Proba-2 minisatellite. In orbit about 820km above us, Proba-2 will be connected live with the Space Expo in Noordwijk, Netherlands.
The last significant solar eclipses were observed in Sardinia in 2006 (March 29) and 2011 (January 4).
The next ones will be in 2020, 2022, and 2025.
PRACTICAL TIPS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Always remember that the bright part of the Sun remains dazzling and dangerous for the retina, so absolutely avoid direct viewing of the Sun without adequate protection.
Sunglasses or filters made with homemade methods (smoked glass, X-rays, etc.) should categorically be avoided because they do not offer sufficient shielding, and any defect or imperfection could let sunlight through, causing serious eye damage.
You can use the lenses of a welder’s mask with a grade equal to (or greater than) 14. You can find them for sale in hardware stores or stores specializing in safety equipment.
An effective alternative is provided by Mylar filters: these are filters made of an aluminum sheet placed between two layers of plastic, usually sold mounted on “eclipse glasses.” Quite common and inexpensive, you can find them for sale in optical stores specializing in astronomical items.
When using binoculars or a telescope, it is recommended not to bring your eye close if the instrument is not protected by an adequate filter. If you do not have a good quality filter, it is advisable to roughly point the binoculars at the Sun and project the image onto a sheet of white paper placed about a meter away.
UPCOMING EVENTS
To observe another solar eclipse in Italy, you will have to wait until June 21, 2020, an eclipse that will be very small and visible only in the southern regions, including Sardinia.
The next total eclipses on Italian territory are expected on August 2, 2027 (territorial waters around Lampedusa), September 3, 2081 (northeastern Italy), July 6, 2187 (central Italy), and November 8, 2189 (southern Sicily).