DistantNews
Support us
🇸🇪 Sweden /Health & Science

Double Celestial Phenomena Await – When the Sun Will Go Dark

From Svenska Dagbladet · () Swedish

Translated from Swedish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Sweden will witness a partial solar eclipse on August 12, with up to 83% of the sun's disk obscured.
  • This event offers the best viewing opportunity in Sweden since 2015, with the sun appearing as a thin crescent.
  • The Perseid meteor shower will also be active around the same time, providing another celestial spectacle.

Skygazers in Sweden are in for a treat this week, with two significant astronomical events gracing the heavens. On August 12, the country will experience its most substantial partial solar eclipse since 2015. Approximately 83% of the sun's disk will be obscured, creating a striking crescent shape.

It's hardly possible to describe a total solar eclipse, you really have to experience one.

— Robert Cumming, astronomer and communicator at Onsala Space ObservatoryCumming emphasizes the profound, almost indescribable nature of total solar eclipses, suggesting they are a must-experience phenomenon.

Robert Cumming, an astronomer at Chalmers University of Technology, described the event as the "best chance before 2039" for Swedes to witness such a phenomenon. He noted that the sun will appear as a "thin solar crescent, a bit like the moon usually does." The eclipse will begin around 7 p.m. and reach its peak at 8 p.m. for most of the country, though it will start and end about 20 minutes earlier in the far north. Clear skies to the west will be essential for viewing, as the sun will be low on the horizon.

Adding to the celestial display, the nights surrounding August 12 also mark the peak activity of the Perseid meteor shower. This annual event typically offers one of the best opportunities to see shooting stars. While many dedicated skywatchers will be traveling to Spain for a total solar eclipse, Cumming emphasized that Sweden will still offer a "fine experience" with the partial eclipse.

It is perhaps the most spectacular thing the sky has to offer.

— Robert Cumming, astronomer and communicator at Onsala Space ObservatoryCumming highlights the unparalleled visual grandeur of total solar eclipses.

Cumming also shared a surprising tip for safe viewing: a disco ball. Citing an international study he contributed to, he explained that a disco ball can effectively project small spots of sunlight, allowing observers to follow the eclipse without looking directly at the sun. "It turns out that a disco ball works perfectly in almost all situations," he said, adding that it "makes it a bit festive too."

The sun's disk will look like a crescent, a bit like the moon usually does.

— Robert Cumming, astronomer at Chalmers University of TechnologyCumming describes the visual appearance of the sun during the upcoming partial solar eclipse in Sweden.

For those hoping to witness a total solar eclipse from Sweden, the wait will be considerably longer. The next total solar eclipse visible from the country is not expected until October 2126, a date so distant that Cumming suggested "hardly any person alive today will experience it."

It's the narrowest solar crescent we will get to see for quite some time.

— Robert Cumming, astronomer at Chalmers University of TechnologyCumming points out the rarity of the thin solar crescent that will be visible during the eclipse.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog