In many places in Brabant, the partial solar eclipse was clearly visible on Saturday afternoon. At Observatory Halley in Heesch it was busy with people who came to admire the natural phenomenon. “It looked like a cheese cube with a bite out,” says 6-year-old Stan enthusiastically.
With an eclipse glasses or through a telescope. Everyone at the observatory is ready to see the solar eclipse. Board member Sander de Jong explains the visitors. “It’s super fun that there is so much interest and that so many people are approaching,” he says, watching himself from a screen. “On the screen it is nice, but with your own eyes much more beautiful.”
According to De Jong, a partial solar eclipse is ‘relatively special in the Netherlands, but not worldwide’. “Every few years there is a full solar eclipse somewhere in the world,” he explains. “The most special one that is coming is the total solar eclipse in August next year. This will cross Iceland and then over Spain.”
He emphasizes that it is important to wear eclipse glasses if you want to look at a solar eclipse with the naked eye. “With the naked eye without glasses? You can do that a maximum of twice, then you become blind. You have to be very careful,” says De Jong. The eclipse glasses were therefore quickly sold out at the observatory.
“It would be cloudy, but in the end we saw it fine.”
The 6-year-old Stan is looking at the solar eclipse through one of the telescopes of the observatory. “I just looked at the sun and it looked like a cheese cube with a bite out. That is because of the moon,” he says. Stan loves the space and that can also be seen in his space jacket with the NASA logo on it. “The space is nice and dark. Then I can sleep more easily.”
Several families came to Halley. “We always like the stars and the moon to see, but now we come to look at the sun. And then something so special happens. We thought that was a good time to go to the observatory again,” says a mother with her children. “It would be cloudy, but in the end we saw it fine. Cool, no regrets!”
Not only at the observatory, the solar eclipse was viewed and recorded. Throughout Brabant, people have taken pictures of the special natural phenomenon:
