On Wednesday evening in Lithuania, one of the most impressive solar eclipses in recent years can be observed – the Moon, as announced, is expected to cover about 85 percent of the Sun’s disk.
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Conditions in Lithuania by the Baltic Sea for observing this phenomenon on Wednesday evening were very good – the sky was clear.
A large number of people gathered on the beaches. Some brought special disposable tinted glasses with cardboard frames for eclipse viewing. Others equipped themselves with welding glasses from hardware stores. Many spectators also brought their own photography equipment.
As 15min stated, astrophysicist Vidas Dobrovolskas said one of the main unique features of this year’s eclipse is that it is the first total solar eclipse of this century visible in continental Europe.
“The last such eclipse in Europe was observed in 1999. However, later total eclipses were visible on some islands, for example, Iceland, but in continental Europe, this will be the first after quite a long break,” said the scientist.
It was predicted that during the maximum phase in Lithuania, no more than about 85% of the Sun’s disk would be covered.
During a total solar eclipse, it gets quite dark, and the air temperature can noticeably drop. However, such significant changes are not expected in Lithuania.
Glasses sold out
Before the eclipse, vacationers who came to the seaside boasted on social networks about buying welding shields in hardware stores. However, as noted by Liubovė Aleksandra Zaiceva, a representative of the “Senukai” store network, sales of such a specific product did not increase significantly.
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Meanwhile, Gabija Arlauskienė, sales manager of the company hobi.lt, which sold special glasses for observing the solar eclipse, told 15min that the store sold one type of special glasses designed for eclipse viewing, but they sold out very quickly.
On the website skelbiu.lt glasses appeared quickly with a huge markup.
Best to observe in Spain
Scientists from Lithuania said in an interview with 15min that they themselves would go to Spain to observe the eclipse. There it will be total. In Iceland, there should also be a total solar eclipse. However, locals said that Wednesday would be quite cloudy and rainy, and they would hardly be able to enjoy the event.
This is the first total solar eclipse in continental Europe since 2006.
When the Sun and Moon align in one line, the shadow cast by the Moon creates a strange twilight during which the air temperature drops, and shadows fall at strange angles.
However, this phenomenon is short-lived: for observers in Spain, the total eclipse will be visible for less than two minutes just before sunset.
The partial eclipse, occurring as the Moon begins and ends crossing the Sun’s path, will last about one hour and 45 minutes.
At night, look up at the sky
At night, seaside residents are invited to look up at the sky.
On the nights of August 12–14, the Perseid meteor shower, sometimes called the “star rain,” can be observed.
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