A total solar eclipse occurred on August 11, 1999 with an eclipse magnitude of 1.029. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partially obscuring Earth's view of the Sun. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across the surface of the Earth, while a partial solar eclipse will be visible over a region thousands of kilometers wide.
The path of the moon’s shadow began in the Atlantic Ocean and, before noon, was traversing Cornwall, Devon, Southern Wales, northern France, Belgium, Luxembourg, southern Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, and northern Serbia. Its maximum was at 11:03 UTC in Romania (next to a town called Ocnele Mari near Râmnicu Vâlcea); and it continued across Bulgaria, the Black Sea, Turkey, Iran, southern Pakistan and Srikakulam in India and ended in the Bay of Bengal.
It was the first total eclipse visible from Europe since July 22, 1990, and the first visible in the United Kingdom since June 29, 1927. To commemorate this event Royal Mail issued this nice and striking minisheet which My friend Emma sent me from England. The details about the eclipse in the UK and the minisheet are printed on the accompanying information card, which is also displayed. The next total eclipse which will be visible from mainland UK will be on 23 September 2090. Not a very long wait really ;-))
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