This Week’s Night Sky: Solar Eclipse and Double Clusters
How to see the only total solar eclipse of 2016, plus a few other spectacular celestial sights.
The eclipse begins at 23:19 GMT on March 8, 2016, and reach its maximum, or totality, at 01:59 GMT on March 9. (For North Americans, it will be about 6 p.m. EST when the fun begins.)
An eclipse occurs when the moon glides between Earth and the sun. The moon blocks incoming sunlight, causing the moon's shadow to fall on Earth. Observers lucky enough to be within that shadow cone will witness the disappearance of at least a portion of the sun’s disk.
The largest planet in the solar system officially reaches opposition—when it is positioned opposite the sun and closest to Earth. At this point, Jupiter appears at its largest in the sky and is visible from sundown to sunrise. Jupiter
