On March 29, the universe will delight us with a special “show” that we can only experience twice a year at most: We are in for a partial solar eclipse! Although this cannot be observed with the naked eye from Germany, you can watch the cosmic spectacle from the impressive planetariums in Berlin.
First a little theory: what is a solar eclipse?
A solar eclipse is a kind of cosmic shadow play: the sun is obscured from our field of vision on earth for a short time when the moon is exactly between it and the earth. This makes it appear as if the sky is darkening. This spectacular event only occurs when all three celestial bodies – the sun, moon and earth – are exactly in line. During a total solar eclipse, when the moon completely covers the sun, it becomes really dark and you can only see the so-called solar corona, the sun’s outer atmosphere.
There is also a partial solar eclipse, which occurs when the moon only covers part of the sun. And this one takes place on Saturday! The partial solar eclipse begins at 11:32 a.m. when the edge of the moon and sun touch and reaches its peak at 12:20 p.m. with a maximum coverage of 15.3 percent. At 13:08, the celestial spectacle is already over again.
Live stream in the Zeiss-Großplanetarium
The Zeiss-Großplanetarium is offering a free live event in its planetarium hall. The program starts at 11:15 am and includes a moderated observation. Experience state-of-the-art planetarium technology and discover even the most distant cosmic phenomena up close. Before and after the live stream of the solar eclipse, there will be a short program explaining the phenomenon in detail.
📍 Location: Prenzlauer Allee 80
Wilhelm Foerster Observatory
You can also experience the event for free at the Wilhelm Foerster Observatory from 11:15 a.m. and get closer than anywhere else: there is an impressive telescope on the roof of the observatory through which you can observe the phenomenon. Experts will be on hand to explain all the special features of the subject. If you can’t use the “Great Refractor”, there are other telescopes available. You’ll rarely get this close to the sky over Berlin!
📍 Location: Munsterdamm 86, 12157 Berlin
Archenhold Observatory
The Archenhold Obs ervatory is offering three different free programs for the partial solar eclipse in Berlin. From 11:15 am, you can watch the celestial spectacle through the Coudé refractor, gather in the observatory’s solar physics cabinet or listen to the moderated live stream in the Einstein Hall. There will also be a short program “When the sun and moon meet” before and after the live stream of the solar eclipse.
📍 Location: Alt-Treptow 1, 12435 Berlin
Special care must be taken when observing: Looking directly at the sun can cause permanent damage to the eyes, as the intense radiation from the sun can permanently damage the eye’s sensitive retina. Even when the sun is partially or completely covered by the moon, it still emits enough radiation to cause damage to the eye. Special solar eclipse glasses or projection techniques should therefore be used to experience the event safely.