March Astronomy Madness: A Total Solar Eclipse And A Supermoon For The Spring Equinox

The first day of spring will be a bit more special this year. For the spring equinox there will be a total solar eclipse and a supermoon. Friday's new moon will be at perigee -- the closest point to Earth -- but don't expect to see much of the "black supermoon."

Friday's total solar eclipse, on the other hand, will be a visual treat for those living in Europe, North Africa and North Asia. The total solar eclipse will be visible in the north Atlantic and the Faroe Islands while a partial eclipse will be visible for the three previously mentioned locations. Astronomer and enthusiasts are heading north to catch the rare solar event.

Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago, will be a popular location for solar eclipse observers, but they may be facing more challenges than protecting their eyes during the event. Christin Kristoffersen, mayor of Longyearbyen, Svalbard's largest settlement, has issued polar bear warnings ahead of Friday's event, Reuters reported. Kristoffersen said he expects around 1,500 tourists -- compared with 2,500 residents of Longyearbyen -- that may not be expecting frigid temperatures or the threat of bears.

"Safety comes first, even before the eclipse. We need to take care of people. It's terribly cold in March and we have the challenge with polar bears," Kristoffersen told Reuters.

In Britain, the partial solar eclipse will be visible around 8:45 a.m. local time, with the peak around 9:31 a.m., the BBC reported. The next partial solar eclipse in Britain will take place in 2026 while the next total solar eclipse will be in 2090.

As for the spring equinox supermoon, it will not be a full moon and won't have the same visual appeal as the supermoon that will rise Aug. 29. While there is nothing apocalyptic about a supermoon, Friday's new moon will slightly affect the tides. Britain's National Oceanography Center said the tides will be a few centimeters above last year's maximum while France's Navy Oceanic and Hydrological Service said it expects to see fast tides rushing off the coast of Normandy and Mont Saint-Michel, Agence France-Presse reported.

This week has been a pretty special one, astronomically speaking. Sunday saw a pair of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) that grazed Earth on Tuesday and led to a spectacular St. Patrick's Day aurora. Friday's supermoon and total solar eclipse fall on the spring equinox -- when the sun crosses the plane of the equator -- at 6:45 p.m. EDT.