Thick cloud hides solar eclipse in France
A cloudy, smoggy day across much of France on Friday stopped many from enjoying a rare solar eclipse. But thanks to scientists' specialist cameras The Local has been able to peak behind the clouds.
Friday morning's solar eclipse over France was tainted for many after a cloudy morning ruined the chances of seeing anything in the sky besides grey.
But French astronomers have shared some amazing images from what is the most complete solar eclipse in ten years, with the moon blocking out up to 82 percent of the sun as seen from some spots in France.
Here is a time lapse of the live feed from the Pic du Midi Observatory in Bigorre, south western France.
Revivez l'éclipse en Timelapse par 20Minutes
The scientists at the CNRS research institute shared some of the most extraordinary views. C’est parti pour l’ #eclipse2015 on peut la suivre en direct vidéo même si il fait moche ! http://t.co/LUKM4vJAa6 pic.twitter.com/PYebhub4PR
— CNRS (@CNRS) March 20, 2015
And here is another image from their camera: 
Au Pic du Midi, l'éclipse prend fin, on distingue une très belle tâche solaire en haut à gauche #eclipse2015 @CNRS pic.twitter.com/bR0KfVG9HK
— Keraunos (@KeraunosObs) March 20, 2015
Les derniers instants de l #eclipse2015 depuis #Nice http://t.co/HJKXRdl5Yw v/@UNIV_INSU_CNRS @ObsCoteAzur pic.twitter.com/lntvjieNK4
— CNRS (@CNRS) March 20, 2015
The tweet below shows the scene from Vonnas, in l'Ain, in eastern France. Je l'ai eu ! Une petite vingtaine de minutes où le soleil se laissait deviner à travers les nuages. #eclipse2015 pic.twitter.com/ewkxXZz9Qg
— Sylvain, cheminot (@amv_ac) March 20, 2015
And here was the view from Planrupt near St Dizier, sent in by Facebook follower Leise Residori. 
And here is the view from the Nièvre département in eastern France, thanks to Antoine Maillier from the Musée de Bibracte. .jpg)
Most observers in France, however, lamented that the poor weather reduced visibility to almost nothing at all - even in northern France which was tipped as the best place to witness the spectacle. The tweet below is from a reader in Pas de Calais, near Hesdin, in northern France.
@TheLocalFrance Here's my view... pic.twitter.com/RU794oiD3q
— Tilou™ (@Ti1ou) March 20, 2015
Indeed, readers from all over the country reported grey skies, from Brittany to Dordogne.
The view of the solar eclipse from the offices of @TheLocalFrance in Paris. pic.twitter.com/Uea9dcoIE4
— Oliver Gee (@olivergee23) March 20, 2015
An exchange student from Scandinavia shared us the picture below from her street in eastern Paris. 
"Trust the Paris smog to ruin my day," she said. "I'm standing out on the street with fellow eclipse fans scattered around the place, all peering up towards the sky to try to get a glimpse. We must look more like a flock of confused chickens than astronomy fans. What an anticlimax!" The graph below shows exactly how the morning panned out above the clouds.
(Graphics from Timeanddate.com)
Even though France didn't get much solar action as seen with the naked eye, those who travelled to the island of Svalbard in Norway were treated to a total eclipse, reported The Local Norway (including video).
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Friday morning's solar eclipse over France was tainted for many after a cloudy morning ruined the chances of seeing anything in the sky besides grey.
But French astronomers have shared some amazing images from what is the most complete solar eclipse in ten years, with the moon blocking out up to 82 percent of the sun as seen from some spots in France.
Here is a time lapse of the live feed from the Pic du Midi Observatory in Bigorre, south western France.
Revivez l'éclipse en Timelapse par 20Minutes
C’est parti pour l’ #eclipse2015 on peut la suivre en direct vidéo même si il fait moche ! http://t.co/LUKM4vJAa6 pic.twitter.com/PYebhub4PR
— CNRS (@CNRS) March 20, 2015
Au Pic du Midi, l'éclipse prend fin, on distingue une très belle tâche solaire en haut à gauche #eclipse2015 @CNRS pic.twitter.com/bR0KfVG9HK
— Keraunos (@KeraunosObs) March 20, 2015 Les derniers instants de l #eclipse2015 depuis #Nice http://t.co/HJKXRdl5Yw v/@UNIV_INSU_CNRS @ObsCoteAzur pic.twitter.com/lntvjieNK4
— CNRS (@CNRS) March 20, 2015 Je l'ai eu ! Une petite vingtaine de minutes où le soleil se laissait deviner à travers les nuages. #eclipse2015 pic.twitter.com/ewkxXZz9Qg
— Sylvain, cheminot (@amv_ac) March 20, 2015 The tweet below is from a reader in Pas de Calais, near Hesdin, in northern France.
@TheLocalFrance Here's my view... pic.twitter.com/RU794oiD3q
— Tilou™ (@Ti1ou) March 20, 2015 Indeed, readers from all over the country reported grey skies, from Brittany to Dordogne.
The view of the solar eclipse from the offices of @TheLocalFrance in Paris. pic.twitter.com/Uea9dcoIE4
— Oliver Gee (@olivergee23) March 20, 2015 The graph below shows exactly how the morning panned out above the clouds.
(Graphics from Timeanddate.com)
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