The new year's first solar eclipse occured on Wednesday, March 29. The eclipse wass calculated to start approximately at 11:18 CET ; mid-eclipse was at 12:30 CET and finished at 13:47 CET.
A special event was organised by Heritage Malta with the cooperation of the Astronomical Society at the Megalithic temple of Ħaġar Qim on Wednesday. A number of small telescopes was strategically located for patrons to get a better view of the eclipse.
A number of volunteers from the Astronomical Society of Malta assisted in this event.
Visitors were provided with special sunglasses which could be purchased on site.
There was a guided tour of both temples will commence just after the eclipse comes to an end.
In addition, re-enactments focusing on pagan rituals took place in various sites included in the package.
Similar guided tours were offered at the Tarxien Temples.
A total eclipse was visible from within a narrow corridor, which traverses half the Earth. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow begins in Brazil and extends across the Atlantic, northern Africa, and central Asia, where it ends at sunset in western Mongolia. A partial eclipse was seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes the northern two thirds of Africa, Europe, and central Asia.
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