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March 20, 2015 Total Solar Eclipse

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Astronomy: Same day as the March Equinox 2015

It's a Total Solar Eclipse in the Faroe Islands and Svalbard (Norway), and a Partial Solar Eclipse in Europe, northern and eastern Asia and northern and western Africa. The eclipse starts at 07:41 UTC and ends at 11:50 UTC.

This eclipse wasn't visible in Chicago - Which upcoming eclipses can be seen in your location?

What the Eclipse Looked Like Near the Maximum Point

The animation shows what the eclipse approximately looked like near the maximum point. The curvature of the Moon's path is due to the Earth's rotation.

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Where the Eclipse Was Seen

Try our new interactive eclipse maps. Zoom in and search for accurate eclipse times and visualizations for any location.


Path of the Eclipse Shadow

Regions that saw, at least, a partial eclipse: Europe, Much of Asia, North/West Africa, East in North America, Atlantic, Arctic.

Expand for a list of selected cities where at least part of the total eclipse was visible
Expand for a list of selected cities where the partial eclipse was visible

This eclipse wasn't visible in Chicago - Which upcoming eclipses can be seen in your location?

Eclipse Shadow Path

Portion of Sun covered by the Moon (Eclipse obscuration)

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The dark areas symbolize night and twilight.

When the Eclipse Happened Worldwide — Timeline

The eclipse started at one location and ended at another. The times below are actual times (in UTC) when the eclipse occurred. This calculation uses a Delta T value of 67.7 seconds.

Eclipse Stages Worldwide UTC Time Local Time in Chicago*
First location to see the partial eclipse begin Mar 20 at 07:40:54 Mar 20 at 2:40:54 am
First location to see the full eclipse begin Mar 20 at 09:09:33 Mar 20 at 4:09:33 am
Maximum Eclipse Mar 20 at 09:45:40 Mar 20 at 4:45:40 am
Last location to see the full eclipse end Mar 20 at 10:21:22 Mar 20 at 5:21:22 am
Last location to see the partial eclipse end Mar 20 at 11:50:12 Mar 20 at 6:50:12 am

* These local times do not refer to a specific location but indicate the beginning, peak, and end of the eclipse on a global scale, each line referring to a different location. This eclipse isn't visible in Chicago.

Upcoming eclipses visible in Chicago

Next Total Solar Eclipse will be on Mar 8 – Mar 9, 2016

Eclipse calculations usually accurate to a few seconds

Countries Where the Eclipse Is Visible

Country Type Start of Eclipse End of Eclipse
Faroe Islands
Total Solar Eclipse
8:37 am WET 10:48 am WET
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Total Solar Eclipse
10:09 am CET 12:17 pm CET
Albania
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:32 am CET 11:53 am CET
Algeria
Partial Solar Eclipse
8:47 am CET 11:27 am CET
Andorra
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:12 am CET 11:29 am CET
Armenia
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:28 pm AMT 3:16 pm AMT
Austria
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:26 am CET 11:58 am CET
Azerbaijan
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:32 pm AZT 3:20 pm AZT
Belarus
Partial Solar Eclipse
11:50 am MSK 2:20 pm MSK
Belgium
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:25 am CET 11:47 am CET
Benin
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:10 am WAT 9:53 am WAT
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:31 am CET 11:56 am CET
Bulgaria
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:39 am EET 1:06 pm EET
Burkina Faso
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:55 am GMT 9:09 am GMT
Cabo Verde
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:41 am CVT 8:04 am CVT
Canada
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:04 am NDT 7:00 am EDT
Chad
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:19 am WAT 10:54 am WAT
China
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:31 pm CST 7:46 pm CST
Cote d'Ivoire
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:58 am GMT 8:45 am GMT
Croatia
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:29 am CET 11:57 am CET
Cyprus
Partial Solar Eclipse
11:01 am EET 12:53 pm
Czechia
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:33 am CET 12:02 pm CET
Denmark
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:37 am CET 12:02 pm CET
Egypt
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:41 am EET 12:37 pm EET
Estonia
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:54 am EET 1:18 pm EET
Finland
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:56 am EET 1:22 pm EET
France
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:10 am CET 11:47 am CET
Gambia
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:45 am GMT 8:57 am GMT
Georgia
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:17 pm GET 3:19 pm GET
Germany
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:25 am CET 12:00 noon CET
Ghana
Partial Solar Eclipse
8:04 am GMT 8:46 am GMT
Gibraltar
Partial Solar Eclipse
8:58 am CET 11:07 am CET
Greece
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:32 am EET 1:00 pm EET
Greenland
Partial Solar Eclipse
5:38 am WGT 8:05 am WGT
Guernsey
Partial Solar Eclipse
8:19 am GMT 10:36 am GMT
Guinea
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:47 am GMT 8:54 am GMT
Guinea-Bissau
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:46 am GMT 8:53 am GMT
Hungary
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:34 am CET 12:05 pm CET
Iceland
Partial Solar Eclipse
8:36 am GMT 10:47 am GMT
Iran
Partial Solar Eclipse
1:02 pm IRST 2:44 pm IRST
Iraq
Partial Solar Eclipse
12:26 pm AST 2:04 pm AST
Ireland
Partial Solar Eclipse
8:18 am GMT 10:38 am GMT
Isle of Man
Partial Solar Eclipse
8:26 am GMT 10:40 am GMT
Israel
Partial Solar Eclipse
11:13 am IST 12:46 pm IST
Italy
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:14 am CET 11:51 am CET
Jersey
Partial Solar Eclipse
8:19 am GMT 10:35 am GMT
Jordan
Partial Solar Eclipse
11:15 am EET 12:46 pm EET
Kazakhstan
Partial Solar Eclipse
2:28 pm ORAT 5:48 pm ALMT
Kosovo
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:36 am CET 11:56 am CET
Kyrgyzstan
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:34 pm KGT 5:32 pm KGT
Latvia
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:51 am EET 1:17 pm EET
Lebanon
Partial Solar Eclipse
11:13 am EET 12:51 pm EET
Liberia
Partial Solar Eclipse
8:04 am GMT 8:30 am GMT
Libya
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:06 am EET 12:34 pm EET
Liechtenstein
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:26 am CET 11:47 am CET
Lithuania
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:50 am EET 1:15 pm EET
Luxembourg
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:26 am CET 11:46 am CET
Mali
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:45 am GMT 9:40 am GMT
Malta
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:20 am CET 11:33 am CET
Mauritania
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:41 am GMT 9:42 am GMT
Moldova
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:51 am EET 1:12 pm EET
Monaco
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:19 am CET 11:38 am CET
Mongolia
Partial Solar Eclipse
6:29 pm ULAT 6:48 pm HOVT
Montenegro
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:33 am CET 11:54 am CET
Morocco
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:41 am WET 10:08 am WET
Netherlands
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:27 am CET 11:51 am CET
Niger
Partial Solar Eclipse
8:58 am WAT 10:52 am WAT
Nigeria
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:10 am WAT 10:02 am WAT
North Macedonia
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:35 am CET 11:56 am CET
Norway
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:40 am CET 12:20 pm CET
Palestine
Partial Solar Eclipse
11:13 am EET 12:42 pm EET
Poland
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:38 am CET 12:11 pm CET
Portugal
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:46 am WET 10:17 am WET
Romania
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:39 am EET 1:10 pm EET
Russia
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:48 am EET 6:50 pm KRAT
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:49 am PMDT 7:56 am PMDT
San Marino
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:26 am CET 11:46 am CET
Saudi Arabia
Partial Solar Eclipse
12:22 pm AST 1:40 pm AST
Senegal
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:42 am GMT 9:07 am GMT
Serbia
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:35 am CET 12:00 noon CET
Sierra Leone
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:55 am GMT 8:41 am GMT
Slovakia
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:37 am CET 12:05 pm CET
Slovenia
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:29 am CET 11:55 am CET
Spain
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:44 am WET 11:30 am CET
Sudan
Partial Solar Eclipse
12:00 noon EAT 12:41 pm EAT
Sweden
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:42 am CET 12:16 pm CET
Switzerland
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:21 am CET 11:47 am CET
Syria
Partial Solar Eclipse
11:11 am EET 1:03 pm EET
Tajikistan
Partial Solar Eclipse
3:41 pm TJT 4:22 pm TJT
Togo
Partial Solar Eclipse
8:09 am GMT 8:45 am GMT
Tunisia
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:08 am CET 11:31 am CET
Turkey
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:44 am EET 1:15 pm EET
Turkmenistan
Partial Solar Eclipse
2:52 pm TMT 4:27 pm TMT
Ukraine
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:45 am EET 1:25 pm EET
United Kingdom
Partial Solar Eclipse
8:18 am GMT 10:51 am GMT
Uzbekistan
Partial Solar Eclipse
2:53 pm UZT 5:33 pm QYZT
Vatican City (Holy See)
Partial Solar Eclipse
9:23 am CET 11:42 am CET
Western Sahara
Partial Solar Eclipse
7:41 am WET 9:43 am WET
Åland Islands
Partial Solar Eclipse
10:54 am EET 1:12 pm EET

All times shown in this table are local time. (Note: more than one time zone is listed.)

How Many People Can See This Eclipse?

Number of People Seeing... Number of People* Fraction of World Population
Any part of the eclipse 1,260,000,000 17.05%
At least 10% partial 911,000,000 12.27%
At least 20% partial 835,000,000 11.25%
At least 30% partial 777,000,000 10.47%
At least 40% partial 705,000,000 9.50%
At least 50% partial 576,000,000 7.76%
At least 60% partial 425,000,000 5.72%
At least 70% partial 268,000,000 3.61%
At least 80% partial 116,000,000 1.57%
At least 90% partial 17,400,000 0.23%
Totality or annularity 48,600 0.0006%

* The number of people refers to the resident population (as a round number) in areas where the eclipse is visible. timeanddate has calculated these numbers using raw population data provided by the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University. The raw data is based on population estimates from the year 2000 to 2020.

An Eclipse Never Comes Alone!

A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse.

Usually, there are two eclipses in a row, but other times, there are three during the same eclipse season.

All eclipses 1900 — 2199

This is the first eclipse this season.

Second eclipse this season: April 4, 2015 — Total Lunar Eclipse