Romantics and astronomy enthusiasts will soon have the chance to witness a rare celestial spectacle in Saxony. As the sun sets on August 12, it will be partially obscured by the moon. Partial solar eclipses do occur from time to time in this country—most recently at the end of March 2025. “But this one is something very special because it happens at sunset, and the sun will set while partially eclipsed,” explains Florin Stroe of the North Saxony Observatory.
This poses special challenges for some professional stargazers. The observatories in Drebach and Schneeberg in the Ore Mountains, for example, are advising against it. Anyone who wants to observe this event properly needs an unobstructed view of the horizon, says Mike Behnke of the Zeiss Planetarium and Observatory in Schneeberg. That’s difficult at both locations. Instead, those interested are advised to find a mountain with a clear view to the west. In the Ore Mountains, this is possible on the Dittersdorfer Höhe, for example, but also on the Auersberg, the Katzenstein, the Sauberg, as well as on the Fichtelberg and Keilberg, according to reports.
