The first and the last total eclipse of this year when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, takes place on Friday, March 20. The eclipse will occur along with "Spring Equinox" or the first day of spring. Spring Equinox is also known as Vernal Equinox.
This eclipse is also termed as rare because it takes place on the Spring Equinox. The Spring Equinox is considered by astronomers as the start of spring and the point from when the hours of the day starts increasing. From this point we are into the summer with longer days.
In addition to the vernal equinox and the eclipse, another great event takes place on Friday: a new "supermoon". The supermoon is the event when the moon is at its nearest point or the closest to the Earth. Due to this the moon looks big and bright. This will also have a strong effect on tides. A spokesperson from the National Space Center, Leicester said: "A Supermoon is a nickname for the coincidence between either a full or a new moon and the moon's closest approach in its orbit. This results in the moon looking larger than usual. An increase in size of around 15 per cent will typically be seen."
This eclipse is the first in the century which falls on the same day with Spring Equinox. There won't be another event as this one till the year 2034 and after that this event will take place only twice, the first in 2053 and the second in 2072 but they will not be closer to the Earth as compared with the present one.
The striking part of this eclipse when the moon will be in front of the sun will occur around 9:46 pm UT. People residing in Europe and the northern part of Africa will be able to see it.
You can watch the eclipse online at Slooh Community Observatory.
