One eclipse enthusiast was half lucky on the Gurnigel in canton Bern
Ross Bennie
People hoping to see a partial solar eclipse over Switzerland on Tuesday were disappointed as the sun was hidden by cloud almost everywhere.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
The best place to observe the phenomenon was in the mountains, meteorologists said. However, even there the view was not perfect.
About 30 people took advantage of a special trip in the cable railway up to the top of the Säntis mountain in eastern Switzerland at 2,502 metres, but their view was obstructed by bands of cloud.
The situation was no better in the Lucerne region at the top of the Rigi, Pilatus and Brienzer Rothorn.
In Zurich about 50 people went to the observatory. Since they were not able to see the real event, they were shown a simulation instead.
The sun was so low in the sky that visitors to Bern’s observatory had to content themselves with an explanation from experts, as the view was blocked by high buildings. However, people in the street in Bern were aware of an orange glow in the sky for a few moments, before the clouds covered it again.
However, the observatory in Basel reported that the eclipse had been visible from there, but that only two people and a local television crew had turned up to watch from inside.
The moon started to pass across the sun at about 8.15am. At its maximum, it obscured 67 per cent of the sun’s surface. The eclipse ended at about 10.45am.
The next partial eclipse in Switzerland is due in 2015, when the moon will cover 70 per cent of the sun.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Skygazers await partial eclipse
This content was published on
Although not as spectacular as a total eclipse – when the sun is completely obscured by the moon – this degree of partial eclipse is relatively rare in Switzerland. The eclipse will be visible in Switzerland – where 67 per cent of the sun will disappear – most of Europe, North Africa and central Asia.…
This content was published on
Researchers at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (Cern) say the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) appears to have produced a small amount of the matter that existed in the first moments of the universe. They said colliding particles seem to be creating “hot dense matter” that would have existed microseconds after the Big Bang and…
This content was published on
On Tuesday the planet Venus inched its way across the Sun for the first time since 1882. The planet – which appeared as a tiny black dot – moved across the lower half of the Sun. It will cross the upper half eight years from now in 2012. The event will then not happen again…
This content was published on
The HiSCI project will not start delivering Mars pictures until 2016. But the HiRISE project has already sent numerous pictures from the planet. (Pictures: NASA / University of Arizona)
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.