Photos: Partial Solar Eclipse Captivates Much of the Northern Hemisphere

Science|Partial Eclipse Captivates Much of the Northern Hemisphere

As the sun rose in the Northern Hemisphere on Saturday, the moon cut across Earth’s orbit and took a bite out of the sun.

The partial solar eclipse, which occurs when the moon moves between the Earth and the sun, casting a shadow on our planet, was the first of the year and was visible in parts of the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Russia and Africa.

Unlike a total solar eclipse, when the entire sun is covered, a partial solar eclipse creates a crescent sun.

The event had already begun when dawn broke in the Northeastern United States, which had the best view in the country. People in northern and western Europe, as well as on the northwestern coast of Africa, were treated to the celestial show during the late morning and early afternoon.

A composite image of seven separate photos shows the partial solar eclipse as seen at Castillo del Romeral on the island of Gran Canaria in Spain.

In Ronda, Spain, one viewer took in the eclipse using a homemade filter.

Cloud cover didn’t spoil the view in Nuuk, Greenland.

Marina Prol, 45, and her mother, Pilar Franco, 64, watch the partial solar eclipse on the island of Gran Canaria in Spain.

Eclipse viewers gathered at the Sonnenborgh Observatory in Utrecht, Netherlands.

A view of the partial solar eclipse over St. Petersburg, Russia.

A makeshift strategy for photographing the partial eclipse in Ericeira, Portugal.

A partial solar eclipse rises over the Atlantic Ocean in Halifax on Saturday.

Eduvigio Marrero, 58, Agustin Artiles, 62, and Alejandro Polo, 50, on the island of Gran Canaria in Spain.

In Nuuk, Greenland, nearly 90 percent of the sun was covered at the height of the eclipse.