Share to ClassroomMillions in Europe Watch Solar Eclipse
Millions of people watched a solar eclipse on Wednesday evening. The Moon moved in front of the Sun. It was the biggest eclipse in Europe for almost 30 years. In Greenland, Iceland and Spain, the sky went dark for less than two minutes. In the United Kingdom, the Moon covered about 90 percent of the Sun.
An eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth. The Sun is much bigger than the Moon. But the Sun is also much further away. So they look the same size in our sky. Special glasses sold out in shops before the eclipse. Many people used colanders and cereal boxes to watch safely.
Crowds stood on hills and cheered. The sky was clear in southern England and Wales. But cloud covered Scotland. A total eclipse happens somewhere on Earth about every 18 months. But one place waits about 400 years.
