WATCH | Partial solar eclipse as seen from Malta

Film courtesy of 2itinter

People standing across a great swathe of the earth's surface will see the moon take a big bite out of the sun. For north Africa and much of Europe, the event starts at sunrise, whereas in central Russia and north-west China, the spectacle occurs at sunset.

Skywatchers will have to have a high vantage point, however, as both celestial bodies will be skirting the horizon at that time. As is always the case for solar eclipses, the public is being warned to take great care.

Viewing the Sun's harsh light should only be done through protective equipment - proper solar glasses and solar telescopes, or through a pinhole projection system.

In many places, professional and amateur astronomy groups will be setting up safe observing systems – but as ever, skywatchers will be at the mercy of local weather conditions

Partial solar eclipses occur when the Sun and Moon do not quite align in the sky as viewed from Earth, and the deep shadow cast by the smaller body passing across the bigger one just misses the planet.

Nonetheless, the phenomenon will result in a dip in light, depending on how big a chunk of the solar disc the Moon can obscure. This effect will vary from place to place and in time.

Northern Algeria was the first location to witness the phenomenon at 0740 CET. In European cities like London and Paris, the eclipse will already be under way as the Sun rises, with the Moon covering up almost 70% of our star by 0912 CET in the British capital, and 65% of the solar disc by 0909 CET in the French capital.

The further east the event tracks, the closer it gets to local sunset. Central Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and north-west China will all observe an eclipsed Sun dive over the horizon.