Solar eclipse December 4, 2021 - time and how to see

When will it pass

The eclipse of the sun is scheduled for this Saturday, December 4th. The full phase, according to Sky & Telescope, will last just under two minutes – 1 minute 54 seconds.

In general, the eclipse will continue between half past six and half past eleven in the morning.

The moment of the greatest eclipse is expected at 07:33 (9:33 Kyiv time) UTC.

How to observe

It is worth noting that a total solar eclipse will not be visible in Ukraine. It can be observed from Antarctica and partly from South Africa and the South Atlantic Ocean.

But if the Ukrainian polar explorers from the Akademik Vernadsky station can enjoy the spectacle live, then our other fellow citizens can admire the phenomenon on the net.

So, the show will be available online through webcasts. For example, watch the broadcast of the total eclipse of the celestial light from NASA from the Union Glacier in Antarctica на YouTube and on their website on this link.

What is the peculiarity of the eclipse on December 4

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is close enough in its orbit from Earth to cover 100% of the solar disk. So, the apparent diameter of the moon is 1.0367 times the apparent diameter of the solar disk, so on December 4 it will completely cover the star.

With a total eclipse, you can see the solar corona, and nearby stars and planets.

The current first and last in 2021 will be unusual as the total eclipse path will move from east to west across West Antarctica. Moreover, most of the paths of the eclipse run from west to east.

We invite you to see how total solar eclipses took place in previous years: