Solar eclipse this morning

The moon will appear to nip a bite out of the sun this morning weather permitting, a spectacle that will be visible at sunrise across much of Europe.

The partial solar eclipse can also be seen from northern Africa, the Middle East and central Asia, where it will occur at sunset.

Tuesday's solar show is the first of four partial eclipses of the sun to occur this year. The last time there were this many partial solar eclipses was in 1982. The next time will be in 2029. There is no total solar eclipse this year.

A solar eclipse happens when the moon lines up between the sun and the Earth. This casts a lunar shadow on the Earth's surface and obscures the solar disk. During a partial solar eclipse, only part of the sun is blotted out.