Gallery: Partial solar eclipse viewed from Tallinn
A partial solar eclipse was visible in Estonia on Wednesday. In Tallinn, it peaked at 8:53 p.m. when the moon covered more than 80 percent of the sun's disk.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon, as it travels along its orbit, passes directly between the Earth and the sun. Although the moon's diameter is about 400 times smaller than the sun's, it is so much closer to Earth that it can completely obscure the star.
In Tallinn, the astronomical spectacle began at 8:02 p.m. The eclipse reached its maximum in Estonia at 8:53 p.m. when the sun resembled a slender crescent moon. The event lasted one hour and 18 minutes, ending at 9:19 p.m. when the sun dipped below the horizon. Because the eclipse peaked shortly before sunset, the sun was just a few degrees above the horizon in the western and northwestern sky at the time.
A total solar eclipse was last visible in Estonia on August 11, 1999 and will be visible again in 2126.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski, Johanna Alvin
