Solar eclipse awes Cairo’s astronomy enthusiasts

Egyptians who looked up at the sky this morning might have caught a glimpse of a partial solar eclipse. Viewed from Cairo, the moon blocked about 6 percent of the sun at its peak at 11:48 am, while in Salloum, 16 percent of the sun was covered.

Astronomers, enthusiasts and photographers flocked to Helwan Observatory in southern Cairo, where they viewed the astronomical event as local media looked on.

“I expected there to be less people, at most 10 or 20. I didn't expect people to come with cars and taxis and such,” Mohamed Galal, who came to the observatory along with members of the Mostafa Mahmoud Astronomical Society, told Mada Masr.

Galal, a mechanical engineer who shoots astronomical pictures as a hobby, said that it was great that there were a lot of young people “coming to watch God's wonders.”

This particular eclipse was significant because it coincided with the vernal equinox, when day lasts as long as night, in the northern hemisphere. It also coincided with a so-called “super-moon” event, when the moon's orbit brings it in close proximity to Earth, which also made the moon appear larger in the eclipse.

A total eclipse was witnessed in the North Atlantic, particularly over the Danish Faroe Islands and the Norwegian Svlabard Islands. A partial umbra was also seen in Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, northern Scotland, Norway and parts of Sweden.

The last total eclipse visible in Egypt was on March 29, 2006, in Salloum. The next solar eclipse is expected to occur on August 2, 2027.