Africa August 21, 2017 Eclipse Map

West African Cape Verde experiencing a nearly 85% total Solar Eclipse

For the August 21, 2017 total Solar Eclipse, the map shows where the total solar eclipse is visible in Africa.

Africa August 21, 2017 Eclipse Map

Africa 2017 Eclipse Map

Partial eclipse will happen in North and West Africa with Cape Verde experiencing a nearly 85% total Solar Eclipse. Cabo Verde formally known as Cape Verde until 2013 is a group of 18 U-shaped islands located off mainland Western Africa in the Atlantic Ocean.

Most calendar years have two solar eclipses. The maximum number of solar eclipses that can take place in the same year is five, but this is rare. 

According to NASA calculations, only about 25 years in the past 5,000 years have had five solar eclipses. The last time this happened was in 1935, and the next time will be in 2206.

There are three main types of solar eclipses

• ·        Total solar eclipses
• ·        Partial solar eclipses
• ·        Annular eclipses

When Does a Solar Eclipse Occur?

Solar eclipses can only happen around New Moon because of the alignment of Earth, the Moon, and the Sun, which happens at that time. However, this does not mean that eclipses of the Sun happen every New Moon night.

The New Moon and the Sun also have to be near a lunar node, which happens a little less than 6 months apart, and lasts, on average, around 34.5 days. This period is called the eclipse season, and it is the only time that eclipses take place.