On Wednesday, August 12, the UK will be treated to the most spectacular solar eclipse in a generation – and you will not want to miss it.
Although Britain won’t witness totality, up to 96 per cent of the sun will be obscured as the moon drifts in front of its celestial neighbour.
The next time an eclipse this deep will be visible from the UK won’t be until 2050.
Meanwhile, any keen astronomers wanting to see a total eclipse from Britain will need to wait until September 23, 2090.
This stunning display will begin shortly after 18:00 BST, but the exact timing will vary based on your location.
Maximum coverage will occur roughly an hour later, plunging the UK into premature twilight, before the eclipse comes to an end just after 20:00 BST.
However, since you can’t look at the sun directly without risking severe eye damage, you’ll need to come prepared to get the best view.
Here is everything you need to know to make the most of this rare opportunity.
On Wednesday, August 12, the UK will be treated to the most spectacular solar eclipse in a generation
When and where to see the eclipse
First contact – the moment the moon’s shadow will first appear on the sun – will kick off at 18:06 in Glasgow and Edinburgh, 18:13 in Manchester and Liverpool, 18:15 in Birmingham, 18:17 in London, Bristol and Cardiff, and finally at 18:18 in Cornwall.
Viewers, taking the appropriate safety precautions, will see a small ‘bite’ disappear from the sun’s right–hand corner before slowly spreading to cover most of the disc.
At the point of greatest coverage, observers will see only a tiny inverted crescent of fire hanging in the sky.
That will happen just under an hour later, at 19:05 in Glasgow and Edinburgh, 19:10 in Manchester and Liverpool, 19:11 in Birmingham, 19:12 in London, Bristol and Cardiff, and at 19:16 in Cornwall.
After that moment, you’ll be able to watch as the moon slowly moves out of alignment with the sun until its shadow completely vanishes.
At the moment of maximum eclipse, your surroundings won’t be plunged into a darkness like it would during totality.
However, you might notice that the evening light seems subdued, colours look flatter, shadows appear sharper, and the temperature may even slightly dip.
The UK will miss out on the path of totality, but up to 96 per cent of the sun will be obscured during the eclipse
Dr Megan Argo, an astrophysicist from the University of Lancaster, told the Daily Mail: ‘From the UK we’ll see a deep partial eclipse rather than a total eclipse, with just over 90 per cent of the Sun covered in many locations.
‘Even though the sky won’t go completely dark, it’s still an unusual and memorable sight, and it’s set to be one of the best partial eclipses visible from the UK for many years.’
Exactly how much of the sun vanishes will depend on where you are in the UK, with areas towards the Southwest seeing a deeper eclipse.
The very best place in the UK to see the eclipse will be Bishop Rock in the Isles of Scilly, where 96.5 per cent of the sun will be obscured.
Meanwhile, viewers in Land’s End and Lizard Point on the mainland will see over 95 per cent of the sun obscured.
That drops to just over 90 per cent for viewers up in Inverness, while London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh will all see roughly 91 per cent.
However, even in the very far north of the Shetland Isles, the eclipse will still be deep enough for 88 per cent of the sun to vanish from view.
But Dr Argo says that anyone who wants to see the full spectacle of totality will have to ‘plan a trip’.
Outside of the UK, totality will be visible from Northern Spain, Greenland, Iceland, and parts of the Atlantic Ocean
‘You will be able to view the total eclipse as it passes across Greenland, Iceland, the Atlantic Ocean and northern Spain,’ she says.
How to get the best view
With the eclipse occurring so late in the day, the most important thing will be to find a location where you can still see the sun as it drops to the horizon.
By 20:00 BST, the sun will be very low on the Western horizon, so even a few small houses, trees, or a low hill could completely ruin your view.
If you’re absolutely determined not to miss the action, consider heading out to your intended spot a few days in advance to check that the sun will be visible.
Since the sun sets in a slightly different location each day, a spot that had a great view earlier this year might not be perfect by now.
However, it cannot be stressed enough that you absolutely must not look directly at the sun with your bare eyes at any point during the eclipse or after.
This is especially true for anyone who owns a telescope or binoculars, which can cause instant, irreparable eye damage if directed towards the sun.
If you want to see the eclipse safely, be sure to use proper eclipse glasses that will protect you from the harmful brightness of the sun. Pictured: The crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission wearing eclipse glasses to view an eclipse from space
Dr Argo says: ‘The safest way for the public to enjoy the eclipse is to view it indirectly.
‘Standing beneath a leafy tree creates hundreds of tiny images of the Sun on the ground, which gradually change into crescents as the eclipse progresses.
‘The same effect works with a kitchen colander or a simple homemade pinhole camera.’
You can also get specialist safety equipment that allows you to look directly at the sun for an extended period.
The simplest are ‘eclipse glasses’ with very dark lenses to block out most of the sun’s harmful light and should be widely available online.
Look for those bearing the ISO 12312–2 safety standard and make sure to purchase them from a reputable retailer to avoid any chance of picking up a fake.
Do not use a pair of eclipse glasses if the lenses are scratched or punctured, and make sure to help children fit their glasses.
Dark sunglasses, smoked glass, or any DIY filters will not be enough to keep your eyes safe from permanent damage.
Look for eclipse glasses with the ISO 12312–2 safety standard, and be sure to wear them the entire time you are looking at the sun
Also, although it sounds obvious, remember to look away from the sun first, before you take the glasses off.
If you can’t make it out to watch the eclipse, or your view is scuppered by bad weather, there will be several livestreams available to watch.
You can tune into one provided by the Royal Observatory Greenwich at this link here.
What is an eclipse?
Dr Shyam Balaji, an astrophysicist at King’s College London, told the Daily Mail: ‘During a total solar eclipse, the moon’s orbit puts it directly in front of the sun.
‘This obscures the sunlight that can pass directly towards the Earth, enabling us to see just the corona of the sun, which is the outer rim.’
Although the moon is between Earth and the sun every new moon, solar eclipses are much rarer, only occurring once every 18 months or so.
This is because the moon’s orbit is tilted by about five degrees relative to the plane on which the Earth travels around the sun.
An eclipse happens when the moon aligns perfectly between Earth and the sun, so that it blocks out the light from our perspective. Pictured: A partial solar eclipse in Germany, 2003
This means that it is quite rare for all three bodies to be precisely lined up in such a way that the moon perfectly blocks the sun.
In fact, it is only due to an incredible cosmic coincidence that such a perfect solar eclipse can occur on Earth.
While the moon is about 400 times smaller than the sun, it also happens to be about 400 times closer to Earth.
By pure chance, this allows the moon to perfectly obscure the sun, something which is completely unique in the solar system.
What to do once the sun has set
In another fantastic coincidence, this total solar eclipse also happens to coincide with the Perseid Meteor shower.
That means you can simply stick around outside for a full night of spectacular stargazing.
The shower, which is caused by debris left by the comet Swift–Tuttle, will actually peak on August 12 and 13, with up to 100 shooting stars per hour.
The solar eclipse coincides with the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. So, after the sun sets, there will still be an incredible celestial display to watch. Pictured: The Perseids seen over Corfe Castle, England
Dr Balaji says: ‘The best place to view the Perseid meteor shower is in the North East near the constellation Perseus.
‘While you can look at the whole sky and are likely to see a meteor, that’s the target location in order to get the best viewing experience.’
And the great news is that you don’t even need any special equipment to make the most of this incredibly well–timed display.
Dr Balaji says: ‘For me personally, the best way to view the meteor shower is just with your naked eye because of the speed with which they move.’
