In case you were going about your day and got puzzled by the sight of your friends staring spellbound into the heavens wearing silly spectacles, you’ve committed an astronomical blunder because a partial solar eclipse could be seen from Israel around Tuesday noon.
The celestial phenomenon peaked around 2:11pm local time, with the Moon seen covering 47% of the Sun’s disc from the north of the country, 44% from the center, and 41% from the south.
A partial solar eclipse as seen from Turkey
(Video: Reuters)
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A partial solar eclipse, as seen from Givatayim, central Israel, October 25, 2022
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
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A mother and her daughter pointing to the heavens in the midst of a partial solar eclipse, in Givatayim, central Israel, October 25, 2022
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
The eclipse began in Israel at 12:58pm and ended a little more than two hours later with some slight deviations depending on the observer’s location.
The eclipse was visible from the North Atlantic Ocean, most of the European continent apart from its southwestern part, the western part of Asia and northeastern Africa.
However, in all places, the eclipse was only partial, only blotting out 86% of the Sun's disc in north-central Russia at 2:00pm at its northernmost point.
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Yerucham Mayor Tal Ohana watching a partial solar eclipse using a specialized telescope, in southern Israel, October 25, 2022
(Photo: Yael Galanz)
Whoever’s waiting for a more significant eclipse in Israel will have to wait for a little less than five years. The next solar eclipse will be visible from Israel on August 2, 2027, and it will be the best one in the coming decades, with coverage in Israel peaking at about 90%.
A total eclipse will be seen from Aswan, Egypt.
We remind our readers that you should never, ever – under any circumstances – look directly at the Sun without using the appropriate precautions!