This rare astronomical event began around 17:00 Greenwich Mean Time (20:00 Lithuanian time) at the very northern edge of mainland Russia.
As the Moon covers the Sun, the shadow of Earth’s satellite will then arc across Greenland and Iceland, and later over the Atlantic Ocean.
In Spain, where the total eclipse will be best visible, the Moon’s shadow will diagonally cross the country from the northern Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean Sea, where the total eclipse will end around 18:30 GMT (21:30 Lithuanian time).
Many more observers will see a partial eclipse – it will be visible over much of Europe, Canada, northern USA, and northwest Africa.
This will be the first total solar eclipse in mainland Europe since 2006.
With the Sun and Moon aligned in a single line, the shadow cast by the Moon creates a strange twilight during which air temperature drops, shadows fall at odd angles, and some animals fall asleep.
However, this phenomenon is short-lived: for observers in Spain, the total eclipse will be visible for less than two minutes just before sunset.
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In some parts of Russia and Greenland, it will last a bit longer, though still less than two and a half minutes.
The partial eclipse, occurring as the Moon begins and ends crossing the Sun’s path, will last about one hour and 45 minutes.
This event will provide scientists with a rare opportunity to study the Sun’s atmosphere and its outer layer, aiming to uncover the mysteries of solar winds and our star’s magnetic field.
The next total eclipse in August 2027 will be visible in southern Spain and North Africa, and in 2028 an annular eclipse is expected to be visible on the Iberian Peninsula. During such an eclipse, the Moon does not completely cover the Sun, and a so-called ring of fire is visible.
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