Astronomers and amateurs gathered this Saturday at the Teide Observatory, in Tenerife, to observe the partial solar eclipse which, although subtle to the naked eye, is an opportunity to get closer to Astronomy and knowledge of the Universe.
For this reason, the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) has been monitoring the phenomenon aimed at members of the 'Friends of the IAC' program and center staff, while an observation has been made from the headquarters in La Laguna that could be seen live from the center's YouTube channel.
The beginning of the eclipse took place at 09:14 local time and ended at 10:56, after reaching its maximum at 10:03, according to the IAC.
For just over an hour and a half, the Moon passed in front of the Sun, hiding part of its light and generating an astronomical phenomenon that, although it no longer represents a great scientific challenge as it is well studied, today it is still "an opportunity to get closer to Astronomy and knowledge of our Universe."
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is located between the Earth and the Sun, projecting its shadow on the planet.
This shadow is divided into two clearly differentiated zones: the umbra, which gives rise to a total eclipse (when the Moon completely covers the solar disk), and the penumbra, from where only a partial occultation of the Sun is observed.
When the alignment is not perfect for a total eclipse, as happened this Saturday, a partial eclipse occurs.
Although the mechanics of eclipses are clearly understood today, for centuries these events generated amazement, fear and myths in different cultures.
But currently, thanks to scientific knowledge, they can be anticipated and enjoyed as a unique experience of connection with the Cosmos, adds the IAC.
The Canary Islands was the first autonomous community in Spain in which the eclipse of this Saturday began to be visible and the Moon covered 24% of the solar disk in La Palma, 22% in Tenerife and 19% in Lanzarote.
Canary Islands, first Spanish territory to enjoy the partial solar eclipse
The Teide Observatory became the privileged setting to observe the phenomenon, which began its journey through Spain from the archipelago
