Astronomy The moon moves in front of the sun on Saturday
There will be a special spectacle to marvel at in the sky on Saturday: a partial solar eclipse. At around 11.20 am, the moon will begin to move in front of the sun. However, it will not completely cover the sun.
25.03.2025, 05:01
SDA
The solar eclipse will begin a little earlier in the west of Switzerland than in the east. While part of the sun's disk will be covered by the new moon in Geneva from 11.14 a.m., the solar eclipse in Chur will not begin until 11.22 a.m.. In Bern, the sun will be covered from 11.17 am, in Basel from 11.18 am and in Zurich from 11.20 am.
Just a few minutes after this first contact with the lunar disk, it will look as if someone has bitten into the sun at the top right. Maximum dimming will be reached between 12.02 and 12.07, depending on the location. Then about one sixth of the sun will be covered.
The moon then retreats upwards out of the sun's disk again. About 90 minutes after the start, the partial solar eclipse is over.
Do not look directly at the sun
Astronomers urge caution: anyone wishing to observe the celestial spectacle should never look directly at the sun without protection, writes the Swiss Astronomical Society SAG in an information brochure on the solar eclipse. However, the sun is no more dangerous on the day of a solar eclipse than usual when it shines from a cloudless sky.
There are around two to five solar eclipses per year worldwide. However, these are only visible from a small part of the world.
You will have to wait a long time before you can observe a total solar eclipse from Switzerland: The next total solar eclipse will take place on September 3, 2081.
