A total solar eclipse will sweep across Türkiye on 29 March 2006, the first such event visible from the country in the 21st century. The next total eclipse visible from Türkiye will not occur until 30 April 2060, making this a rare astronomical occasion for local observers.
The Moon's shadow will enter Türkiye through the Mediterranean coast near Antalya's Manavgat district at around 1:56 p.m. local time, cross through central cities including Kayseri and Yozgat at approximately 2:05 p.m., and exit over the northeastern city of Ordu by 2:10 p.m. The total eclipse will last roughly four minutes along its narrow corridor, which originates in Brazil and stretches across the Atlantic, northern Africa, and central Asia, ending at sunset over western Mongolia.
Tuncay Ozisik of the TUBITAK National Observatory Center described the expected darkness as impossible to define, adding that temperatures will fall 2 to 3 degrees Celsius. Experts say the sky will darken noticeably about 15 minutes beforehand, with Venus, Mercury, Mars, and several constellations becoming visible.
NASA will webcast the eclipse live from the Roman amphitheater in Side, Antalya. Turkish and British scientists will jointly study ionospheric changes during the event. Three public viewing sites have been set up in Antalya, and a concert of works by Mozart and Brahms is planned during totality.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in March 2006, in its own words.