The partial solar eclipse will occur over a large part of the northern hemisphere. Over Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, between 20 and 40 percent of the sun's disk will be obscured, according to NASA's graphic.
However, those who happen to be in Nunavik in the northernmost part of Québec, Canada, can see the sun rise in the shape of devil's horns. There, almost the entire ascending sun's disk (93 percent) will be obscured by the moon, according to timeanddate.com.
"Awesome"
The partial solar eclipse in Sweden begins at 11:30 am and is over after a couple of hours. Around 12:30 pm, the moon's coverage is at its greatest.
Before that, it's just a matter of keeping your fingers crossed that it doesn't get too cloudy.
A partial solar eclipse is not as spectacular as a total solar eclipse. But it will take 101 years, until 2126, before a complete eclipse can be seen in Sweden. And a partial solar eclipse can't be seen that often – the last time from Swedish soil was in October 2022. Therefore, March 29 is still an opportunity to take advantage of, says Maria Sundin, astrophysicist at the University of Gothenburg.
You won't notice it getting darker. But, with the right eye protection, it's easy to see that a piece of the sun is actually missing. It's really cool and awesome.
Eyes must be protected
Maria Sundin emphasizes how important it is to take care of your eyes. You need very dark filter glasses, regular sunglasses won't do.
Those who look directly at the sun without proper protection risk getting a temporary or permanent photochemical damage to the retina, explains Stefan Löfgren, senior physician at S:t Eriks Eye Hospital in Stockholm. "You can lose a significant part of your detailed visual acuity in the middle of focus," he writes in an email and notes that you should never look through binoculars or a telescope at the sun.
There are special solar eclipse glasses, but Stefan Löfgren warns against unscrupulous actors whose glasses don't meet the requirements. His recommendation is to look indirectly, by projecting the solar eclipse onto paper.
Robert Cumming, communicator at Onsala Space Observatory, suggests aiming a binocular at the sun and directing the binocular's eyepiece at a paper. He also advocates for – the pinhole projector.
You have no idea how easy, fun, and effective it is. You place the pinhole projector in sunlight, indoors or outdoors, and get small round images of the sun around you. It's a completely safe method, he says.
The coverage refers to the percentage of the sun's disk obscured by the moon on Saturday, March 29.
Malmö: Takes place between 11:32 am and 1:13 pm. Maximum coverage 21 percent, at 12:22 pm.
Göteborg: Takes place between 11:31 am and 1:16 pm. Maximum coverage 25 percent, at 12:23 pm.
Stockholm: Takes place between 11:40 am and 1:21 pm. Maximum coverage 22 percent, at 12:31 pm.
Östersund: Takes place between 11:36 am and 1:25 pm. Maximum coverage 31 percent, at 12:31 pm.
Kiruna: Takes place between 11:43 am and 1:30 pm. Maximum coverage 35 percent, at 12:37 pm.
Sources: NASA and timeanddate.com
