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| When is the next solar eclipse in my country? | When is the next solar eclipse in my country? |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| On 21 August 2017 millions of Americans witnessed one of the biggest solar eclipses in almost 100 years. | |
| There are usually two solar eclipses on Earth per year, and they only happen when the Sun, Earth and Moon align in specific ways. | There are usually two solar eclipses on Earth per year, and they only happen when the Sun, Earth and Moon align in specific ways. |
| Try our solar eclipse calculator and see how long you'll have to wait for the next one to happen in your country. | Try our solar eclipse calculator and see how long you'll have to wait for the next one to happen in your country. |
| The calculator displays the date of the next solar eclipse of any kind observable in your country. Not every eclipse is visible from every part of a country. | The calculator displays the date of the next solar eclipse of any kind observable in your country. Not every eclipse is visible from every part of a country. |
| The total eclipse on Monday began in the north eastern Pacific Ocean and made landfall at Lincoln Beach, Oregon at 10:16 local time (18:16 BST). | |
| The path of totality swept across North America in approximately 90 mins, crossing Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. | |
| Other states as well as Canada and many countries in Central and South America experienced significant partial eclipse. | |
| A partial eclipse was also be visible in parts of West Africa and western Europe, but in most of the UK barely 4% of the sun was obscured, from about 20:00 BST. | |
| Solar eclipses only occur when the moon is directly positioned between the sun and the Earth. | Solar eclipses only occur when the moon is directly positioned between the sun and the Earth. |
| These conditions happen about once a month, but due to the moon's tilted orbit it is usually too high or too low in the sky to directly block the sun's light. | These conditions happen about once a month, but due to the moon's tilted orbit it is usually too high or too low in the sky to directly block the sun's light. |
| But when the moon is in exactly the right place, it blocks the light from the sun and casts a shadow on the earth for a brief period of time. | But when the moon is in exactly the right place, it blocks the light from the sun and casts a shadow on the earth for a brief period of time. |
| The darkest part of the shadow is known as the umbra, and this causes the most dramatic effect - a total solar eclipse. | The darkest part of the shadow is known as the umbra, and this causes the most dramatic effect - a total solar eclipse. |
| The outer part is known as the penumbra, where only a portion of the sun's light is obscured. This creates conditions for a partial solar eclipse. | The outer part is known as the penumbra, where only a portion of the sun's light is obscured. This creates conditions for a partial solar eclipse. |
| Produced by: Joy Roxas, Alison Benjamin, Tom Housden, Paul Rincon, Evisa Terziu and Alice Grenie. | Produced by: Joy Roxas, Alison Benjamin, Tom Housden, Paul Rincon, Evisa Terziu and Alice Grenie. |