Millions will see the sun disappear as the eclipse sweeps from the Arctic to Europe, bringing two minutes of totality.

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Today, millions of people across Europe will get the chance to experience their first total solar eclipse in 27 years.

Starting at 15:34 GMT, the brightness of the daylight hours will gradually be interrupted as the moon begins to block the sun, eventually turning day into sudden night for about two minutes along the path of totality.

So which countries will see it? How do solar eclipses occur? Where and how can you watch it safely? In this visual explainer, Al Jazeera unpacks everything you need to know.

What time is the solar eclipse?

The time of the eclipse depends on where you are because the moon’s shadow will move across Earth’s surface from the Arctic towards Europe.

Here is how today’s eclipse will unfold:

• 15:34 GMT: The partial eclipse begins at the first location on Earth.
• 16:58 GMT: The total solar eclipse begins at the first location.
• 17:46 GMT: The eclipse reaches its maximum with totality lasting about two minutes and 18 seconds near the centre of its path.
• About 17:48 GMT: The eclipse reaches its maximum in Reykjavik, Iceland.
• About 18:27 GMT: Totality reaches Spain.
• 18:34 GMT:  The total eclipse phase ends globally.
• 19:58 GMT: The partial eclipse ends at the last location on Earth.

Which countries will see the eclipse?

The path of totality, which is when the moon orbits in front of the sun and blocks its entire surface facing Earth, will cross northern Russia, Greenland and Iceland before sweeping across Spain and a small part of Portugal, bringing almost total darkness to about 15 million people.

A partial eclipse will be visible across much of Western Europe, parts of Northwest Africa, most of Canada and part of the northern United States. Overall, about 980 million people, nearly one in eight worldwide, might see the sun at least partly covered depending on weather conditions.

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Elon Musk’s brain-chip firm says it has received approval from the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to conduct its first tests on humans.

The Neuralink implant company wants to help restore vision and mobility to people by linking brains to computers.

It says it does not have immediate plans to start recruiting participants. Mr Musk’s previous ambitions to begin tests came to nothing.

The FDA said it acknowledged Neuralink’s announcement.

An earlier bid by Neuralink to win FDA approval was rejected on safety grounds, according to a report in March by the Reuters news agency that cited multiple current and former employees.

Neuralink hopes to use its microchips to treat conditions such as paralysis and blindness, and to help certain disabled people use computers and mobile technology.

The chips – which have been tested in monkeys – are designed to interpret signals produced in the brain and relay information to devices via Bluetooth.

Experts have cautioned that Neuralink’s brain implants will require extensive testing to overcome technical and ethical challenges if they are to become widely available.

Mr Musk has also previously suggested that the proposed technology could help ease concerns about humans being displaced by AI.

Announcing Thursday’s news on Twitter, Neuralink talked of an « important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people ».

The approval was « the result of incredible work by the Neuralink team in close collaboration with the FDA », it said.

The firm promised more information « soon » on plans to sign up trial participants.

Its website promises that « safety, accessibility and reliability » are all priorities during its engineering process.

The company – which was co-founded by Mr Musk in 2016 – has repeatedly overestimated the speed at which it can execute its plans.

Its initial aim was to start planting chips in human brains in 2020, in order to honour a pledge made the year before. It later vowed to get started in 2022.

The business was dealt another setback in December last year, after reportedly coming under investigation for alleged animal welfare violations in its work. It earlier denied similar claims.

Its announcement on FDA approval for human tests follows recent news of a similar breakthrough involving brain implants by Swiss researchers.

A paralysed man from the Netherlands was able to walk simply by thinking about it – thanks to a system of implants which wirelessly transmit his thoughts to his legs and feet.

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