The last total solar eclipse of the 20th century occurred on August 11, 1999. It began when the Moon's shadow touched the Earth at approx. 09:30:57 UT, about 300 km (186 mi) south of Nova Scotia in the North Atlantic. The umbral (totality) path swept across central Europe, the Middle East, and India before ending in the Bay of Bengal at approximately 12:36:23 UT.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth blocking the Sun from view. Partial solar eclipses are more common than total solar eclipses. During a total solar eclipse, the Moon completely blocks sunlight from striking an area on the Earth's surface. The Moon's shadow is called the umbra. As the angle between Earth, Sun and Moon changes, the umbra moves across the Earth's surface. On Earth, total darkness only occurs in areas on the Earth's surface that fall in the umbral path.

This image was taken by the SeaWiFS remote sensing satellite currently in Earth orbit. The image shows the Moon's shadow cast upon eastern Europe.