The sun shines more often than it doesn’t in Israel, but once in a while something comes up that darkens the entire nation… a solar eclipse in Israel.
The eclipse blocked out large parts of the sun throughout Africa and Asia on the longest day of the year, June 21st, the first day of summer in the northern hemisphere.
A solar eclipse in Israel is a sight to behold. In fact, this type of eclipse happens only every year or two on earth, and when it does happen it only is visible to about 5% of the earth’s surface. It can be years before a total solar eclipse in Israel can be seen. Different types of eclipses happen at different intervals and even in a small country like Israel that is less than 300 miles from north to south, can affect the north differently than it does the south.
This solar eclipse in Israel drew attention and was different than many because of some unique circumstances. One of these circumstances is that this solar eclipse in Israel happened on the first day of summer, which is also the longest day of the year. This coincidence is so rare, it will only happen once more this century.
This solar eclipse in Israel was also what is called an “annular” eclipse. That does not mean it happens annually. the word annular actually comes from Latin, meaning “ring-shaped” in reference to the “ring of fire” appearance. Depending on the position of the earth to the sun, this ring can be more or less pronounced. When the sun and earth are closer together, this would cause a total eclipse, making it appear as if the sun is completely covered by the moon. This time the sun and moon are further from the earth, so the moon does not appear to cover the sun completely. This is what creates the “ring of fire” appearance.
While Uttarakhand, India had the most pronounced ring of fire, the solar eclipse in Israel was seen as a partial eclipse and still viewed my many across the country and helped darken the skies throughout the country. Northern Israel had 32% reduced sunlight and Eliat had 40% decreased sunlight. The next solar eclipse will occur in 2022.
Here are some spectacular photos from the solar eclipse in Israel. We hope you are able to come and experience the next eclipse here in Israel!
