In ancient China, it was considered an omen of the fall of an emperor. In medieval Europe, it is said to have marked the death of King Henry I and a massacre in the city of Augsburg.

Tomorrow, skywatchers will have the chance to observe one of nature’s most spectacular celestial phenomena with the occurrence of the most complete solar eclipse in Europe since 1999.

For Maltese observers, about 38 per cent of the sun’s disc will be obscured by the dark body of the moon during tomorrow’s eclipse, which begins at 9.21am and ends at 11.34am, with a peak at 10.25am.

Elsewhere on Earth, the view will be even more impressive. The path of totality, where the sun will be completely obscured for a maximum of two minutes and 47 seconds, crosses the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean, hitting land in the Faroe Islands and the Norwegian island of Svalbard.

The Guardian reports that more than 2,500 passengers have been booked on dedicated solar eclipse cruises to Shetland and Orkney, the most northerly points in the UK, to get the best possible view of the phenomenon.

Kristian Zarb Adami, director of the Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy at the University of Malta. Photo: Matthew MirabelliKristian Zarb Adami, director of the Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy at the University of Malta. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

“These sorts of eclipses, which are known as partial eclipses since only part of the sun is covered, happen on average twice a year but it takes approximately 375 years for a total solar eclipse to happen again at the same location,” Kristian Zarb Adami, director of the Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy at the University of Malta, said.

“The totality of the obscuration of the sun happens because while the sun is approximately 400 times the diameter of the moon, the distance between us and the sun is also 400 times the distance between us and the moon.

“It is location dependent because of the inclination of the Earth and its orbit,” Dr Zarb Adami, who also works at the Astrophysics Department at Oxford University, noted.

For scientists, moreover, the eclipse offers a unique opportunity to study the sun’s corona, a vast region of hot gas that is the source of ‘solar wind’, which can affect conditions in the earth’s upper atmosphere.

These sorts of eclipses, which are known as partial eclipses since only part of the sun is covered, happen on average twice a year

“The solar corona is one of the many mysteries of astronomy since its temperature seems to be approximately 1,000 times higher than that of the core of the sun, which is like saying that the flame of a fire is much hotter than the logs being burnt,” Dr Zarb Adami added.

“Scientists have been endeavouring to understand this phenomenon and obscuration of the core of the sun by the moon during eclipses allows us to study the corona better.”

For power providers, on the other hand, the obscuration of the sun could represent an unprecedented risk to Europe’s power grid, with European providers warning of a sudden drop-off in solar energy production of 34,000 megawatts.

Engineer Charles Yousif. Photo: Edward Duca/Think MagazineEngineer Charles Yousif. Photo: Edward Duca/Think Magazine

“Solar eclipses have happened before but, with the increase of installed photovoltaic energy generation, the risk of an incident could be serious without appropriate countermeasures,” according to the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (Entso-e).

However, engineer Charles Yousif, a lecturer at the Institute for Sustainable Energy at the University of Malta, said it was “highly unlikely” that Malta’s grid would be affected.

This is because solar energy represents just nine per cent of total electricity generation, where a share of at least 20 per cent would be needed to make a significant impact.

The eclipse also comes with a further warning for the public: don’t look directly at the eclipse.

Looking directly at the sun is very dangerous and can lead to partial or complete blindness

“Looking directly at the sun is very dangerous and can lead to partial or complete blindness,” Dr Zarb Adami warned.

“The best way to look at the sun is either through ‘eclipse glasses’ or by building your own pinhole camera.”

The eclipse of 1999

The last time a solar eclipse of this magnitude occurred in Europe was on August 11, 1999. The path of totality began in the Atlantic Ocean before traversing the southern UK and western and central Europe.

Hundreds of gatherings were held across Europe, with some of the best viewing in the English Channel, where ferries stopped to admire the sight.

Above ground, 200 passengers paid nearly £1,500 (€2,074) each to travel on an eclipse-chasing Concorde jet and a Bulgarian Air Force fighter pilot remained in the moon’s shadow for six minutes at a height of 13,000 metres to study the solar corona.

View eclipse with a pinhole camera

• Watch the eclipse by building a simple pinhole camera, which will cast a small projection of the sun that you can view safely.

• Open your shoebox and cover any cracks or joins with duct tape.

• Cut a square hole on both sides of the box, opposite one another.

• Cut a small square of tinfoil and stick it across one of the holes with clear tape.

• Cut a small square of greaseproof paper and stick it to the other square with your duct tape.

• With a needle or pin, poke a very small hole in the middle of the foil.

• To see the eclipse, point the pinhole camera straight at an angle towards the sun and look through the greaseproof paper.

Eclipse mysteries

Allais effect

A Foucalt Pendulum is used to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth but during some solar eclipses the movement becomes anomalous. Scientists don’t yet know why.

Eclipse wind

Scientists have long debated the existence of “eclipse wind”. Some say it is imaginary while others think it may be caused by a cold outflow of air from areas obscured by the eclipse.

Solar corona

The layer of hot gas surrounding the sun appears hotter than the surface of the sun itself, which seems impossible. Solar eclipses give scientists the chance to take a closer look at the strange phenomenon.

Solar eclipse

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