Celestial alignment
Solar eclipse glasses - the only way to view Friday's phenomenon directly – are just about sold out, at least in Germany. Here's the chance for a safe look at stunning pictures of solar, lunar and other eclipses.
Not for the naked eye
Stargazers beware: Eye doctors urgently warn not to look directly at the sun during Friday's solar eclipse. The only way to view an eclipse directly is with special glasses that filter out harmful rays to prevent permanent eye damage, or even blindness.
Total solar eclipse
Europe watched its last total solar eclipse - when the moon fully blocks the sun and its shadow falls on Earth - in 1999. This time around, the full eclipse will only be visible from the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard and the Faroe Islands.
Eclipse junkies beware
Up to 2,000 eclipse chasers are expected to descend on Svalbard, where accommodation was booked out months ago. The region has more polar bears than inhabitants, and local authorities have warned tourists to be on the lookout. On the eve of the eclipse, a Czech national who was out camping was mauled in a bear attack.
In the moon's shadow
Svalbard and the Faroe Islands fall within the moving path of the moon's umbra, and will be plunged into darkness for about three minutes when the moon blocks out the sun completely on March 20. Countries in the penumbra, on the other hand, will just be able to see a chunk of the sun blotted out.
Partial eclipse for some
People in North Africa, Europe and northern Asia at least have a partial eclipse to look forward to. In Germany, 2003 was the last time people had to don eclipse glasses to watch the spectacle - as far as cloud cover allowed, see above.
A glow in the sky
Lunar eclipses can be just as spectacular as the solar variety, and perhaps even more haunting. Check out the coppery hue of this "blood moon" as it passes into Earth's shadow, seen from the Philippines in October, 2014.
It's Supermoon!
A full, or new, moon coincides with the moon's closest approach to the Earth in its orbit: voila, a Supermoon. It's bright, and simply looks huge. US astrologer Richard Nolle, who supposedly coined the term 30 years ago, says 2015 will see six supermoons.
"And Venus was her name"
The Transit of Venus is another visible phenomenon: The planet Venus, a so-called 'terrestrial planet' similar in size to Earth, passes like a tiny dot directly in front of our solar disk. These transits are much less frequent than eclipses: twice in eight years, and then not again for over 100 years.