article_snippet: Earth is tilted by around five degrees to that of our planet’s, our natural satellite’s shadow usually misses the Earth’s surface by passing above or below it. '
article_snippet: Day turns into darkness for a few minutes for observers in a shadow that is projected onto  Earth. '
article_snippet: At a distance of around 220,000 miles (357,000 kilometres) on 20 March though, the Sun’s disc was sufficiently covered.'
article_snippet: the sun's light was almost totally concealed, casting a huge shadow of the moon across the nation turning day briefly to night, but watchers could not look directly at the sun because watchers risked damaging watchers eyes.
article_snippet: Away from this path the sun was partly obscured.
article_snippet: the sun's light was almost totally concealed, casting a huge shadow of the moon across the nation turning day briefly to night, but watchers could not look directly at the sun because watchers risked damaging watchers eyes.