Turn around, bright eyes…
On Wednesday, August 12, people across the UK will witness a near total solar eclipse, with the Moon set to cover between 90 and 96 percent of the Sun. Royal Museums Greenwich, which runs London’s Royal Observatory, have stated it’ll be the most complete solar eclipse since 1999.
People in the UK will get to witness this celestial event pretty clearly wherever they are (with those in the South West of England expected to have the most complete view) but it’s actually elsewhere across Europe where they will witness a total solar eclipse, including areas of Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain.
Here we’ll share when it starts, where it’ll be visible and how to safely look…
What time is the solar eclipse?
Depending on where you are across the UK and Ireland, the eclipse will start around 6:08pm and end just after 8pm on Wednesday evening.
The Royal Museums Greenwich have calculated the expected timings for the first contact (when the Moon first covers the disc of the Sun), the peak of the eclipse (when most of the Sun is covered) and the end.
- Edinburgh and Glasgow : first contact - 6:08pm, peak - 7:05pm, end - 8pm
- Galway and Dublin : first contact - 6:12pm, peak - 7:10pm, end - 8:05pm
- Manchester and Liverpool : first contact - 6:13pm, peak - 7:10pm, end - 8:03pm
- Norwich and Birmingham : first contact - 6:15pm, peak - 7:11pm, end - 8:04pm
- London, Bristol and Cardiff : first contact - 6:17pm, peak - 7:12pm, end - 8:06pm
- Truro, Cornwall : first contract - 6:18pm, peak - 7:16pm, end - 8:10pm.
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Where can I see the solar eclipse?
The entire UK will experience the eclipse, with the entirety of the country able to witness the shadow of the Moon. People in Cornwall and Pembrokeshire are set to get the most coverage, at around 95 percent partial eclipse.
For people in Ireland, Dublin gets the next fullest eclipse, with about 94 percent coverage. London is expected to see around 90 percent partial eclipse coverage.
You might want to make the effort to catch a sighting - we won't get as full an eclipse again until 2081.
How to watch the solar eclipse safely
It’s rather a rare thing so it’s not a surprise many are excited to catch a glimpse, but looking directly at the Sun without the right protection can cause permanent damage to your eyesight.
The government have advised the safest ways to catch a glimpse - the first is wearing genuine eclipse glasses that meet the international safety standard ISO 12312-2:2015(E). These can be found at reputable retailers, including some on Amazon that if you're a Prime member you will get tomorrow.
The second method is to make an indirect handheld viewer. Safe options include:
- a pinhole viewer/projector, which can be made at home by cutting a 1-2-inch hole in a piece of card, sticking aluminium foil over it and poking a hole in the foil. Place a second piece of card on the ground and hold your pinhole viewer above to project the sun’s image onto it
- viewing the Sun's image projected through a colander or the gaps between tree leaves.
The Associated Press have also shared a video explaining that it’s safe to view the eclipse using the front-facing selfie lens on your smartphone.
For those unable to view it in person for whatever reason, the Royal Museums Greenwich will be running a live stream of the eclipse using one of their modern telescopes. Coverage will start live on YouTube and Facebook from 6.10pm.
