The eclipse could be observed from around noon Saturday, and the Tallinna Nõmme hobby school set up solar telescopes for those interested in observing, and other safe equipment such as specially designed but inexpensive eclipse-watching darkened glasses, was used.

During the event the moon's orbit passed between the relative trajectories of the sun and the earth, causing a part-eclipse, i.e., the sun was not wholly obscured by the lunar disc.

In Estonia, the eclipse covered up to 16 percent of the sun's diameter, and the phenomenon could be observed to varying extents across a large portion of the northern hemisphere.

The next total solar eclipse will not be visible in Estonia until October 2126, but all is not lost for those who wish to see one in their lifetimes.

For instance, only next year, in August 2026, a total eclipse will be visible from the Iberian peninsula.

Partial eclipses worldwide are not especially uncommon, taking place approximately every six months, during the eclipse season in its new moon phase, which is when the Moon's orbital plane is closest to the plane of Earth's orbit.

However, unlike lunar eclipses, when the moon moves inside the earth's shadow and can be viewed anywhere where it is nighttime, solar eclipses can only be seen from a relatively small portion of the earth's surface in any given case.

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