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What happens during a total eclipse? |
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The observer on the path of
a total solar eclipse first notices that the moon starts to cover the sun from
the west.
The moment when the moon touches the edge of the sun is called first contact. The sun gets more and more
covered by the moon as the eclipse progresses. The second contact is reached when the moon totally covers
the sun - the totality starts.
A few minutes later the moon starts to
uncover the sun again. This is called third contact - the totality is over.
The fourth contact is reached when sun and moon have their last contact.
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What can you see during a total eclipse? |
| In the region around the city of Ulm the duration between first and second contact is about 1 hour and 20 minutes. This is plenty of time to observe or photograph the ongoing covering of the sun. Shortly before totality, just as the moon starts to cover the sun totally, you can observe the Baily's Beads phenomenon. |
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Just a few seconds before
totality the edge of the sun suddenly dissolves into single spots of light.
Due to the rough surface of the moon the last beams of sunlight shine through the valleys of the moon. To the observer on the earth this looks like a string of pearls. |
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The last second before totality. Only one last ray of light reaches the earth. Therefore sun and moon look like a diamond ring. This phenomenon is best viewed about 10 kilometres south of the central line. Then it gets dark! |
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But not completely! Suddenly
a bright corona of light surrounds the black disc of the new moon.
The corona is the atmosphere of the sun, it's outermost shell. |
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