Longyearbyen, March 20, 2015, AFP – Thousands of people on Friday flocked to get a glimpse of the solar eclipse, with leaden skies marring the view in most places except Europe's remote north where spectators described the sight as "amazing".
Die-hard eclipse enthusiasts who flew in to the Faroe Islands and Norway's Arctic Svalbard archipelago – the only places where the less than three-minute total eclipse was visible – were rewarded with the best views.
"We had clouds... but it was still fantastic," said Ole J. Knudsen, an astrophysicist from Denmark's Aarhus University, who watched from hills high above the Faroes capital Torshavn.
"You could see the shadow come up behind the clouds. For 20 to 30 seconds the sky was covered and it became dark and there was a collective shock that you could hear from all the spectators," he said.
"It was worth all the money."
Earlier story
17:14 Wow, it just went total in the far north. Now the sun is re-appearing. I'll be back later this evening with some of the best eclipse photos from around Europe.
Watch the solar eclipse live
"As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse is a type of eclipse that occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks ("occults") the Sun."
A solar eclipse has aready begun over much of Europe. The eclipse will be total in remote northern areas, but even in London to the south it should be 85 percent at its peak.
Millions of people are outside viewing the celestial show, but we can watch it too through the internet.