The first total solar eclipse since 1999 to cross continental Europe, with totality passing over the Faroe Islands, Svalbard, and the North Pole.
Key Facts
- Eclipse magnitude
- 1.0445
- Max totality duration
- 2 minutes 47 seconds
- Hours after perigee
- ~14 hours
- Totality visible in
- Faroe Islands and Svalbard
- Next total eclipse over Europe
- August 12, 2026
- Path crossed
- North Pole
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Moon reached perigee on March 19, 2015, making its apparent diameter larger than the Sun's. Approximately 14 hours later, the Moon aligned at its descending orbital node, placing it directly between Earth and the Sun at a magnitude of 1.0445, sufficient to fully block solar light along a narrow ground track.
On March 20, 2015, a total solar eclipse traversed a narrow path covering the Faroe Islands, Svalbard, and the North Pole, with maximum totality lasting 2 minutes and 47 seconds off the Faroe Islands coast. A partial eclipse was simultaneously observed across Europe, Greenland, North Africa, Central Asia, and western Russia.
The eclipse was the last total solar eclipse visible from continental Europe until August 12, 2026, making it a widely observed astronomical event. The unusual path over the North Pole distinguished it scientifically, and large public audiences across Europe witnessed at least a partial obscuration of the Sun.