SOLAR ECLIPSE. This Saturday, April 30, 2022, a partial solar eclipse will be visible in Antarctica, the Pacific and part of South America. How can we see it in France? And at what time ?
[Mis à jour le 29 avril 2022 à 12h09] The solar eclipse on Saturday, April 30, which coincides with a new moon, will peak at 10:41 p.m. when the moon interposes between Earth and the Sun. But it will be partial, because the Moon will only be partially darkened in the shadow of the Earth. This eclipse will be polar, only observable from the South Pole, crossing the South Pacific Ocean, a small part of Antarctica and southern South America.
On the other hand, the next solar eclipse of the year 2022 which will take place on October 25 will be observable in France, partially visible in northern Europe, Siberia and western Asia. But let the French rejoice, we will not have to wait until then to observe another astronomical spectacle: a total lunar eclipse will be partly visible in France on May 16th.
If the France will not be in the visibility zone of this 15th solar eclipse of the century, you will have the possibility of following the occultation of the sun on the Internet. On which sites can we observe the solar eclipse? When will the next total solar eclipse occur in France?
The partial solar eclipse will begin at 6:45 p.m. UTC (8:45 p.m. Paris time) and peak at 10:41 p.m. and 4 seconds (French time) according to the Institute of Celestial Mechanics and Ephemeris Calculation (IMCCE). The end of the phenomenon is scheduled for the next day, Sunday May 1, at 0:38 a.m. This partial solar eclipse will last 3 hours and 52 minutes.
This polar solar eclipse will be invisible from France, but observable from Antarctica, the Pacific and South America. Depending on the application Eclipse Guide, the ideal place to observe it is located in Punta Arenas in Chile. You will not be in the South Pole but still want to attend the solar eclipse? Several sites will offer to follow, live and on video, the effects of the passage of the Moon in front of the Sun, such as the NASA YouTube channel.
On Saturday December 4, 2021, a total solar eclipse, the last of the year, was visible only from Antarctica. The French were able to observe it only from the site of Nasa-TV. Discover the phenomenon in pictures:
Find all the dates of the next total solar eclipses in the world, but also partial and annular ones in France, in our file below.
The next solar eclipses visible from France will be partial. A partial eclipse shows only part of the Sun obscured by the Moon. They will be visible in France on the following dates:
- October 25, 2022
- March 29, 2025
- August 12, 2026
The previous solar eclipse in France dates back to June 10, 2021. Did the French have the chance to observe a thin ring of the Sun covered by the black disc of the Moon? In metropolitan France, the eclipse presented the sun only masked from 0.2 to 17.8% by the Moon.
An extremely rare phenomenon, a total solar eclipse only occurs when the Sun, Moon and Earth are perfectly aligned. A total solar eclipse will not occur until September 3, 2081 in France. French astronomy enthusiasts will have to be patient… More precisely on September 3, 2081, followed by a second complete eclipse on September 29, 2090. In the meantime, it will still be possible to see the Moon partially occult the Sun.
If you want to enjoy the spectacle of a total solar eclipse in Europe, you will have two chances to see one… In 6 years! On August 12, 2026 turn first, darkness will cover northern Spain and parts of Iceland. This total solar eclipse will only be partially visible in France. The following year, on August 2, 2027, a second total eclipse will be visible in the far south of Spain. If you stay in France, you can still enjoy a very beautiful partial eclipse.
What is a solar eclipse? Both strange and fascinating, this phenomenon occurs when the moon comes to stand in front of the sun, covering it partially or totally. We then speak of partial eclipse or total eclipse. A solar eclipse can only occur during the new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction with Earth.
Between the partial and total eclipse, the annular eclipse occurs when the Sun and the Moon are perfectly aligned with the Earth but the apparent size of the Moon is slightly smaller than that of the Sun. This then forms a bright ring surrounding the lunar disk.
The next annular eclipses will be completely visible from France on the following dates:
- November 5, 2059
- February 27, 2082
To observe the solar eclipse with the naked eye, it is imperative to wear special glasses. Conventional sunglasses are not sufficient to protect the retina. During the eclipse, with the decrease in luminosity, the pupils will tend to dilate. When the sun suddenly reappears, serious retinal damage can occur. These burns are not painful, so special care should be taken.
Tricks like looking at the eclipse through a CD or through smoked glass are not effective. To protect your eyes and make the most of the eclipse, go to an astronomy club where you can observe the eclipse indirectly by projection. The simplest solution: make a small hole in a piece of cardboard, direct it towards the sun and observe the projected eclipse. Be aware that glasses allowing you to observe the eclipse without danger are available for around 2 euros. It is also possible to buy them in shopping centers or in stores such as Nature et Découverte, or to order them on the Internet.