Solar eclipse

A solar eclipse happens when Mthunder passes between the Earth and the Sun, so that the Moon completely or partially blocks the sun's light from reaching the Earth.

The next solar eclipse visible in Norway occurs 29 March 2025 and will be a partial solar eclipse. During this eclipse, the Moon will cover between 30 and 40% of the solar disc, depending on where you are in the country.

There are three main types of solar eclipses:

 

  1. Total solar eclipse:

    • The moon covers the entire solar disc, making it almost completely dark in the middle of the day in a narrow area on Earth.
    • Only the sun's corona (outer atmosphere) is visible as a luminous ring.

  2. Partial solar eclipse:

    • The moon only covers part of the solar disc, making the Sun look like a crescent.
    • This is the most common form of solar eclipse.

  3. Annular solar eclipse:

    • The moon is further away from the Earth and does not cover the entire solar disc, leaving a luminous ring around the moon.

A solar eclipse only occurs during new moon, However, because the Moon's orbit is slightly tilted in relation to the Earth's orbit around the Sun, it does not happen at every new moon. There has to be a special alignment between the Earth, the Moon and the Sun for the eclipse to occur.