Warning: eclipse begins 18:48 tonight — never look without glasses
A partial solar eclipse crosses Sweden this evening, and it is the clearest one visible from Europe since 1999. Around 80 percent of the sun's surface will be covered across most of the country.
It starts in the north and works south. In Kiruna the eclipse begins at 18:48, peaks at 19:42 and ends at 20:34, with 81.7 percent covered. Umeå runs 18:55 to 20:40, peaking at 19:48. Sundsvall runs 18:58 to 20:43. Stockholm begins at 19:03 and peaks at 19:56 with 80.9 percent. Norrköping begins at 19:05, Gothenburg at 19:06 with 83 percent at its 20:00 maximum, and Malmö at 19:10, peaking at 20:03 with 83.3 percent — the deepest in the country. One thing to know if you are in Stockholm, Norrköping, Gothenburg or Malmö: the sun sets before the eclipse has finished, so you will not see the final phase.
Do not look at the sun without certified eclipse glasses. Even with 80 percent covered, the remaining sliver will damage your retina, and you will not feel it happening. Eclipse glasses have sold out in shops across the country, and if you cannot find a pair, use an indirect method instead. Punch a small hole in card and project the sun onto a sheet of paper, or let sunlight fall through a colander onto a pale surface. Never look through the holes, only at the projected image. Do not point binoculars, a telescope or a camera at the sun without a proper solar filter fitted in front of the lens.
The sun will be very low. SVT meteorologist Leon Lee points out that high cloud is not really a problem at that angle, but low cloud will block it entirely, and low cloud is most likely in Härjedalen and western Dalarna. Clear skies are expected on the west coast, on Gotland, in eastern Svealand and across much of Norrland. Because the sun sets in the west, get to higher ground with an unobstructed view in that direction — terrain and buildings are the real obstacle. Astrophysicist Linn Boldt-Christmas notes this is the most striking eclipse over Europe since 1999. The Perseid meteor shower peaks the same night.