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This article is also available in English. It was translated with technical assistance and reviewed by the editors before publication.
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Germany and Europe are facing another solar eclipse: although it will be partially visible as a total solar eclipse in Iceland and the Iberian Peninsula, it will remain partial in that country. But during the last one, a year and a half ago, only 20 percent of the Sun was obscured. On Wednesday, August 12, it will exceed 80 percent almost everywhere in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In the federal city of Bern, 90 percent of the sun will disappear. A larger eclipse will not occur in this country for another 55 years – September 3, 2081. Since the solar eclipse this time will not begin until late in the evening, there will be no end in sight this time: the sun will set into darkness around 8:45 p.m.
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Progress of a partial solar eclipse
(Image: HdA/MPIA)
When the partial solar eclipse begins on August 12 at around 7:22 p.m., the sun will still be about 12 degrees above the sky, the House of Astronomy explains. Because it then continues to descend as the moon passes in front of it, viewing requires a clear view to the west of the horizon. If you want to watch the celestial spectacle with your children, this time you should not only check the weather apps for possible cloud cover, but also find a suitable place to watch. A site dedicated to the “Long Night of Astronomy,” declared by various organizations on the occasion of a solar eclipse, can also help. Relevant events are collected on the website.
Solar eclipse after dinner
Although the partial eclipse will occur in the evening and around sunset, experts warn that you should still protect your eyes while viewing. This is mainly due to the fact that the eyelid closure reflex is reduced as a result of the lower light intensity, explains the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Certified solar eclipse glasses (“SoFi glasses”), which you can purchase from an optician, for example, provide sufficient protection. They alone protect against the retina-damaging wavelength components of sunlight, which are still too intense even when only a thin crescent moon is visible.
The Federal Office for Radiation Protection has collected additional information for safe monitoring. There is a direct warning not only against looking directly at the Sun through binoculars, a telescope or a camera. All of them concentrate the rays even more. For such devices, you can purchase special filter attachments or films in specialized stores. “Regular sunglasses or welding glasses, smoked glass, X-rays, CDs, folded survival blankets or black films” are also completely inappropriate. Neither provides sufficient protection and instead puts health at risk. On the other hand, projections through a camera obscura are much better; This pinhole camera is also suitable for use by children.
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Anyone spending August 12 in Spain or Iceland will even have the unique opportunity to witness the spectacle of a total solar eclipse. In much of northern and central Spain, as well as Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, the sun is completely obscured by the moon for a good minute in the evening. You will also be able to see the sun’s corona from the northern part of the capital Madrid – weather permitting. For the country, this begins a historically unique series of three solar eclipses in three years: on August 2, 2027, a total blackout will occur in the deep south, and on January 26, 2028, an annular blackout will occur over the south and east. The government created its own website specifically for the Eclipse Trio.
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