The partial eclipse lasts from 11:07 AM to 1:02 PM; at 12.04 pm the bite out of the sun is at its greatest. Just a disclaimer right away: you won’t notice it. It doesn’t get darker or colder, even though one-third of the sun’s diameter is obscured by the moon during the eclipse’s maximum. The eclipse can only be seen if you look closely at the sun.
And a warning at the same time: looking at the sun without protection is dangerous and can lead to permanent eye damage. So you also need a special tool, such as eclipse glasses, which block more than 99 percent of the bright sunlight. Ordinary sunglasses are really not enough.
What is also possible: make a round hole of about one millimeter in a piece of cardboard, and use it to project the image of the sun on a white sheet of paper that you hold about a meter behind the cardboard. The round bite at the edge of the sun is then clearly visible.
Nowhere total
The partial eclipse is visible in most of Europe and western Asia. The further northeast you are, the larger the eclipse. But nowhere is the sun completely hidden behind the moon: the moon’s shadow passes by the earth, and only some satellites orbiting the earth will see a total eclipse.
Earlier this year, on April 30, there was also a partial eclipse (in the southern hemisphere) that was nowhere complete. Next April it will be hit: then a short total eclipse can be seen from the far west of Australia, from East Timor and from Papua New Guinea.
Only in the year 2135 will such a spectacular sky phenomenon be visible from the Netherlands. If you don’t want to wait that long, you can also travel to the United States in April 2024, or to Northern Spain in August 2026.
Most public observatories in the Netherlands hold an open house on Tuesday 25 October. When the sky is clear, you can view the partial solar eclipse through a large telescope, equipped with a special solar filter.
If it is unexpectedly cloudy on Tuesday, the phenomenon can also be followed online. Several websites (including timeanddate.com) offer a live stream.