Late in the evening of June 1, 2011 up to 60 % of the Sun will be hidden by the Moon. The eclipse takes place around midnight local time (daylight saving time) and can be viewed from the Norwegian counties of Møre og Romsdal, Trøndelag, Nordland, Troms, Finnmark as well as Spitsbergen. Northern Norway and Spitsbergen will enjoy the best view. This will be the first midnight Sun eclipse in Norway since 2000 and the largest one since 1985. Scandinavians must wait until 2084 to have a larger eclipse of the midnight Sun.

LIVE WEBCAST OF THIS RARE ECLIPSE

The eclipse as it is expected to appear in the Tromsø area.
Illustration: Knut Jørgen Røed Ødegaard

LOCAL TIMES AND CONDITIONS

The eclipse takes place at night local time and it is therefore important to have a free view in northerly direction. This eclipse can be expected to become particularly beautiful since it occurs in summer with a midnight Sun hanging low over the horizon. The midnight Sun will cause reddish and yellow colors in the sky. These colors will add to the effects and phenomena of a partial solar eclipse.

The eclipse of June 1, 2011. Click on the illustration to obtain a version with higher resolution.
Illustration: Fred Espenak, NASA

The previous eclipse of the midnight Sun occured in Scandinavia on July 31, 2000. This photo was taken from Northern Sweden. The eclipse of June 1, 2011 will cover an area of the Sun that is more than twice as big.
Photo: Oddleiv Skilbrei

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