Moscow, August 12 (QNA) - The Russian space corporation Roscosmos announced the start of a rare total solar eclipse that will turn day into night for a few minutes in parts of Europe. 
The total solar eclipse began at around 17:00 GMT in Russia's far north near the Arctic, with its shadow crossing the Northern Hemisphere through the Atlantic Ocean, Greenland and Iceland. 
Spain is considered the best location to view the event, with the shadow passing diagonally across the country from the Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean before fading at around 18:30 GMT. 
The partial eclipse will be visible across most of Europe, Canada, the northern United States and northwestern Africa. During the crucial minutes of totality, the Moon completely obscures the Sun's disk, causing temperatures to fall and the angles of shadows to change in unusual ways. 
The celestial alignment provides scientists with an exceptional opportunity to study the Sun's atmosphere to uncover more about the solar wind and the Sun's magnetic field. (QNA)