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Solar eclipse fails to darken Italian sunshine

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Solar eclipse fails to darken Italian sunshine
Sun watchers gather outside Rome's presidential palace. Photo: Rosie Scammell

Skies across Europe darkened on Friday morning as the moon eclipsed the sun, but the much-anticipated astronomical event could not block out Italy’s springtime sunshine.

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As crowds gathered across Europe to view the solar eclipse, with people flocking to northern Norway and elsewhere, Italians also got together to watch the sky go dark.

But when the eclipse reached its peak at around 10.30am in Rome, rays of sunshine continued to bathe the Eternal City.

A few eager sun watchers clustered around lenses to see the moon creeping across the sun, while others donned special glasses for the occasion outside Rome’s presidential palace.

Rome eclipse. Photo by Rosie Scammell

While the skies above the Italian capital were just a tad gloomy during the eclipse, close-up images of the sun published online better show the astronomical event in Italy.

The Italian with the best view was undoubtedly Samantha Cristoforetti, an astronaut watching the eclipse from the International Space Station.

Back down on earth, although the sun was eclipsed to a great extent in northern Europe, clouds across London and Paris made it difficult for people there to spot the phenomenon.

The most committed eclipse-chasers headed to the Faroe Islands, a Danish autonomous territory, and Norway’s Arctic Svalbard archipelago.

READ MORE: Sun watchers flock to Svalbard for total eclipse

Rome eclipse. Photo by Rosie Scammell
 

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