The Paris Observatory informs you about the total solar eclipse of March 20, 2015

Official ephemeris

At the Paris Observatory, the Institute for Celestial Mechanics and Ephemeris Computation (l’Institut de mécanique céleste et de calcul des éphémérides - IMCCE) provides the official French solar, lunar and solar system ephemeris.
Its internet site has the time at which the eclipse takes place in various French localities

Example, for Paris :

First contact between the solar disc and the Moon will take place at 9 h 22 min 29 s.
Last contact will occur at 11 h 40 min 11 s.
The eclipse will reach its maximal point, i.e. when the Moon has covered the largest possible fraction of the Solar disc (78% as seen from Paris), at 10 h 29 min 15 s.

A small pamphlet «20 mars 2015 – une éclipse en lumière» will be published.
To mark this occasion, the IMCCE of the Paris Observatory, together with EDP sciences,will publish a pamphlet entitled « 20 mars 2015 – une éclipse en lumière » - it will be on sale on March 5th. Fully illustrated, it includes clear instructions for observing the eclipse: Where? When? How to observe it? Vital precautions? How eclipses are produced?...

D-day: Welcome of the general public to observe at Meudon

The Paris Observatory is collaborating with the Société astronomique de France in the organisation of observations of the eclipse: these will take place at the entrance of its Meudon site, on the public terrace. Members of the general public will be welcomed during the morning from 9h to 12h, in the public part of the Park of the Town of Meudon: the entrance is at 5 place Jules Janssen. With the help of portable telescopes equiped with special filters, professonal and amateur astronomers will explain and help members of the public to follow and underrstand all the stages of this phenomenon. For this occasion, the Paris Observatory will furnish members of the public with specal «eclipse» glasses.

Welcome of the general public

• Date : Friday, 20th March 2015
• Time: from 9h to 12h
• Address : 5 place Jules Janssen, 92195 Meudon, on the public terrace of the Observatory
• Free entrance

D-day: Live transmission of the images through the interrnet
With the help of special instruments designed for solar observations, it will be possible to see and discover an unusual aspect of the Sun. Live transissions of the solar ecllipse are programmed, and will be accessible from the Paris Observatory’s internet site. Furthermore, to increase the chances of seeing the eclipse in spite of possible bad weater pictures acquired at the Lyon Observatory and at the Nice Observatoire de la Cote d’Azur, with the help of the CNRS, will also be available over the internet.

D-day and/or before the event: Accueil presse
The Paris Observatory will receive journalists before the event or D-day. Eclipse specialists and solar physicists will answer questions about the eclipse, and in particular about the precautions needed to observe the eclipse safely. During D-day, it will also be possible to choose from which site, Paris or Meudon, to observe the Sun using specialized instruments.

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The Paris Observatory:
Founded in 1667, the Paris Observatory is the administrative cradle of French astronomy and astrophysics. With its three sites - Paris, Meudon and Nançay – it constitutes the most important astronomy and astrophysics research centre in Francec, and in itself comprises almost a third of the scientists working in this domain. Through its involvement in all aspects of astrophysics, from planetology to cosmology, it is among the most active research centres in the world in this domain.