Solar eclipse and Perseid meteor shower create celestial spectacle

On August 12, a significant solar eclipse and the peak of the Perseid meteor shower occurred, providing a rare celestial spectacle. The eclipse was total in parts of Spain, Iceland, and Greenland, while other regions experienced a partial eclipse where up to 88 percent of the sun was obscured.

From space, the ESA's Proba-3 satellite mission captured a rare ‘double eclipse.’ Because the satellites were closer to the Moon than Earth, the eclipse lasted 8 minutes and 40 seconds, significantly longer than the maximum of 2 minutes and 18 seconds recorded on the ground. This provided scientists with unique data to study the fine structure of solar radiation.

The event was further enhanced by the Perseid meteor shower, which reached its maximum during the night of August 12 to 13. The presence of a new moon created dark sky conditions, making the bright meteors from the Swift-Tuttle comet debris highly visible to observers.