Lucky Few Witness Partial Eclipse Of The Midnight Sun

Solar eclipses, which occur when the moon comes in between the earth and the sun, are always fun to watch - So you can only imagine how cool it must have been to watch one unfold at midnight.

While the idea of having a solar eclipse in the middle of the night may sound a little strange and even impossible, it makes perfect sense when you realize that during this time of the year, the sun does not set in the regions around the Arctic Circle. While the best views were from the Scandinavian countries of Sweden and Norway, the people of Alaska and parts of Northern Canada, also got to admire this midnight marvel. The eclipse was also visible from China and Japan, where it was witnessed at the crack of dawn.

Which brings us to an even cooler fact - Because the eclipse spanned the International time-line, it began in North East Asia at dawn on Thursday, June 2nd - Then, as it moved northeast toward the Arctic Circle it started to 'lose' time and ended at midnight or earlier of the previous Wednesday (June 1st) for those countries.

But no matter where or what time they saw it, witnesses agreed that it was a spectacular sight - One that hasn't been seen since 1985 and will not be seen again until 2084. However, while there will be no midnight wonders, there are two other spectacular eclipses coming up real soon.

On June 15th, stargazers all over the world with the exception of North America, will witness a total lunar eclipse. The grand finale will occur on July 1st when a partial solar eclipse will be visible to those living in the southern hemisphere. So, if you live anywhere in those areas, be sure to mark your calendars and witness these incredible celestial shows.

Resources: Space.com, NASA.gov