World witnesses one of nature’s greatest spectacles: a total solar eclipse

{"text":[[{"start":10.4,"text":"Europe experienced its first total solar eclipse of this century on Wednesday, as the Moon’s shadow raced at about 3,000kph over the Arctic and down eastern Greenland, before touching the far west of Iceland and finally crossing northern Spain into the Mediterranean."}],[{"start":25.85,"text":"The eclipse cut a path 290km wide in which the Moon completely blotted out the Sun for about two minutes, unveiling one of nature’s great spectacles: the sudden descent of twilight, the twinkling of stars and the brief glow of the solar corona around the black lunar disc. "}],[{"start":43.400000000000006,"text":"People outside the zone of totality were able to enjoy the experience via live streams offered by the European Space Agency and news organisations."}],[{"start":52.45,"text":"But outside of that 290km path, a far larger swath of the northern hemisphere experienced a partial eclipse. In most of the UK, Ireland, France and Portugal, more than 90 per cent of the solar disc disappeared, leaving behind a narrow, crescent-shaped Sun. "}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":70.30000000000001,"text":"Maximum visibility depended on cloudless skies. The weather was good across western Europe but less favourable in Iceland."}],[{"start":78.60000000000001,"text":"Astronomers and optical specialists warned that looking at a partial eclipse with the naked eye, even if just a sliver of the Sun remains, could permanently damage the retina. In the absence of certified eclipse-viewing sunglasses, they recommended looking at an image of the Sun through a pinhole projector. "}],[{"start":95.85000000000001,"text":"Viewers in London, where the Moon obscured an estimated 92 per cent of the Sun, observed an eerie change in the light while shadows sometimes adopted strange shapes. Small gaps, such as those between leaves, sometimes cast a pattern of crescent shapes on the ground and walls."}],[{"start":113.55000000000001,"text":"Observers across Spain looked to the skies to see the first total solar eclipse visible from the country’s mainland since 1905. The Moon’s shadow was first cast on Galicia and Asturias in the north-west, and by 8.33pm local time the eclipse’s path had reached the Balearic island of Formentera. "}],[{"start":134.4,"text":"Michael Smith, a veteran eclipse-watcher from Denver, Colorado, was one of thousands of visitors who travelled to Spain to witness the event. Accompanying him were 11 members of his extended family, many of whom had never experienced a total solar eclipse. "}],[{"start":149.9,"text":"“I’ve been fortunate to take my children to two already, and now to this one,” Smith, 56, told the FT. “I’ve seen an annular eclipse, several partial eclipses, and I’ve also seen Venus transit the Sun.”"}],[{"start":163.9,"text":"The experience lived up to the Smith family’s expectations. “It was incredible. We had a minute and 44 seconds of totality,” he said. “They’re all unique — every total solar eclipse is totally different. The great thing about this one was that it took place close to sunset and it created a lot of different colours in the sky.”"}],[{"start":182.45000000000002,"text":"US space agency Nasa flew a high-altitude research aircraft at 50,000ft, avoiding clouds and the lower atmosphere, to take high-resolution images of the Sun’s corona in several wavelengths of visible and infrared light."}],[{"start":197.65,"text":"Amir Caspi of the Southwest Research Institute in Colorado, who is part of the Nasa observing team, said each eclipse provided new opportunities to learn about the corona. "}],[{"start":208.25,"text":"“The Sun is always changing,” he said. “Every eclipse is different, so we could see things we didn’t see before, and we learn from each eclipse how to better observe the next one.”"}],[{"start":218.1,"text":"Scientists at the ESA will compare computer simulations, made by blocking the Sun’s disc artificially with an instrument called a coronagraph, with data from the natural event. "}],[{"start":228.1,"text":"“A total solar eclipse lets us verify that our models are correct by comparing forecasts with actual observations,” said Jorge Amaya, one of the ESA team. "}],[{"start":239.25,"text":"After the eclipse, committed sky-watchers could look north-eastward into the night sky to see what astronomers had predicted will be the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, one of the year’s best shooting star displays. "}],[{"start":253,"text":"Cartography by Ian Bott"}],[{"start":263.85,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1786716247_1438.mp3"}