Partielle Sonnenfinsternis am 29.03.2025

Partial solar eclipse on March 29, 2025

A report on the solar eclipse with pictures by Werner Wöhrmann, Olaf Homeier, Dr. Gerold Holtkamp and Dr. Achim Tegeler

On Saturday, March 29, 2025, a partial solar eclipse [1] occurred, clearly visible from Osnabrück. From 11:21 a.m. to 1:05 p.m., the Sun was covered by the Moon. At its peak at 12:13 p.m., 21.08% of the Sun was obscured.

For this event, we at kosmos-os organized a “Sternstunden Special” – Werner, Gerold, Olaf, Wilhelm, Fitten and Achim were there, each with different equipment.

The best place to reach a large number of people on Saturday mornings in Osnabrück is the weekly market. Since the market place would have been too crowded, we decided to move to a different location. The cathedral square, right next to the weekly market, seemed like the perfect choice. However, since the square isn't just called that, but actually belongs to the cathedral and thus to the diocese, we needed the appropriate permission. Fortunately, we got it in time. Nothing stood in the way of our event.

Unusually for Osnabrück, the weather cooperated. We had bright sunshine all morning and into the afternoon – only the occasional wisp of clouds drifted through, which made the view through the telescope all the more fascinating. The proximity of the weekly market was noticeable, as even while we were setting up our telescopes at 9:00 a.m., the first interested visitors arrived to look through the equipment. No wonder, even without an eclipse, interesting sunspots and impressive prominences could be seen through our special solar telescopes. Using a model of the sun, Earth, and moon, we explained the expected celestial event.

*First discussions already during the setup of the equipment*

When the eclipse began, things got exciting. Those already observing at the telescopes attracted more interested parties. There were also those who observed with the special eclipse glasses we provided. Many were amazed that they (with the appropriate equipment) simply had to look up to see this unusual event for themselves and live. Perhaps many are no longer used to experiencing it any other way than through media like the internet or television?

We were delighted to see so many curious young people. We even had visitors from southern Germany, who told us that our website was being read there as well. When the eclipse of the sun became clearly visible, queues formed at the telescopes; everyone wanted to take a look and experience the events in the sky live.