Total solar eclipse: What can I see in the UK?When and where Brits can see

A total solar eclipse will dazzle people on Monday and has been dubbed “the greatest spectacle on our planet”.

Today will see the Earth, Sun and Moon align in perfect alignment – meaning people in North America will experience a total solar eclipse that will plunge much of the continent into darkness.

But people in parts of the UK will also be able to see a partial eclipse.

So where can you see it, why is it so special, and is there anything to watch out for? Here’s everything you need to know.

in England

While North America will be able to enjoy the full spectacle of the total solar eclipse, people in parts of the UK will see a partial eclipse.

Dr Edward Bloomer, senior astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said the UK would only see “a small part” of the eclipse in the west and north of the country.

The partial solar eclipse will begin at 7.52pm (BST) and end at 8.51pm.

Weather permitting, you might see it here:

exist Glasgowaround 12% of the sun will be blocked at around 8pm (BST).

Edinburgh 6% shading is visible.

liverpool At 7.57pm (when the sun is right above the horizon) you’ll only see 3.1% coverage at best – a very small window as the start and end times are 7.55pm and 8pm respectively.

Belfast We’ll see more of the eclipse at 8:10 p.m., with coverage up to 28.1% – the full window where people can see the eclipse is from 7:55 p.m. to 8:14 p.m.

stornoway Scotland At 8:13 p.m., maximum coverage will be 33.7%. It will start at 7.53pm and end at 8.23pm.

What’s there in London?

Sadly no.

Dr Bloomer said: “I’m afraid the south and east are out of luck this time.

“We were a little sad that we couldn’t see anything from the observatory ourselves.”

However, you can watch our live coverage of the total solar eclipse on Sky News Channel, the Sky News app or on our YouTube channel.

NASA will also provide a live broadcast of the celestial event, providing telescopic views from multiple locations along the eclipse’s path.

You can watch it on NASA’s official YouTube channel or on its website here.

in ireland

also Belfast and delhi In Northern Ireland, people in the Republic of Ireland will have the opportunity to see a partial solar eclipse.

The best opportunities will be in the West.the town BelmuletAccording to UK weather updates on

The account also said galway It will be a great place to view a partial solar eclipse, with more than 35% of the sun expected to be obscured.

It can also be viewed in the Irish capital, dublin. But it’s thought that only about 15% of the sun’s rays are blocked here.

In the United States, Mexico and Canada

this us, Mexico and Canada will be in the path of a total solar eclipse, meaning more than 31 million people in 15 states will see the sun being obscured by the moon.

Each zone varies in duration, from less than four and a half minutes in Zaragoza, Mexico, to about a minute in Montreal, Canada.

According to NASA, the first location in North America where people will be able to view a total solar eclipse will be Mexican Pacific Coast around 11:07 a.m. PDT.

The eclipse’s path will then move into the United States Texas and travel through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and maine.

small parts Tennessee and Michigan Before heading to Canada, you will also experience a total solar eclipse Southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and cloak stand.Its last sighting will be in newfoundland.

What exactly did people see during a total solar eclipse?

During this event, the sky will be as dark as dawn or dusk, and a halo will form around the sun when its light is blocked by the moon.

According to NASA, on a clear day, people along the eclipse’s path will see the Sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, which is typically obscured by the Sun’s bright surface.

NASA urges viewers to wear specialized goggles during a solar eclipse because it is unsafe to look at the sun except at the moment it is completely obscured by the moon.

Chris Lintott, professor of astrophysics at the University of Oxford, told Sky News: “A total solar eclipse is one of nature’s most spectacular sights and can be very rare anywhere in the galaxy.”

“I get shivers down my spine every time,” he added.

Partial solar eclipses are known to make the sun look like it’s been bitten because the moon only covers part of the sun, rather than the entire sun.

Why is this so special?

This is a bit of an anomaly, as a total solar eclipse only occurs anywhere in the world once every 375 years, but people in Illinois will see a total solar eclipse for the second time in seven years.

Carbondale, Illinois, where 21,000 people witnessed a total solar eclipse in August 2017, is extremely rare for people there to see another total solar eclipse in such a short period of time.

It has earned the state a new nickname – “America’s Eclipse Crossroads.”

“Southern Illinois is considered a crossroads for U.S. solar eclipses because it was centered along the path of totality in 2017 and will be again in 2024,” the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said.

Why scientists are excited too

Professional and amateur scientists alike plan to conduct experiments and observations while the Earth plunges into darkness.

NASA Associate Administrator Pam Melroy said this would provide a “completely different” opportunity to study the interactions between the Earth, moon and sun.

NASA and other agencies will focus much of their efforts on observing the corona, the sun’s outer atmosphere, which is usually not visible because the sun is so bright.

During a solar eclipse, however, the corona’s white halo can be seen bursting out from behind the shadow. It is hundreds of times hotter than the sun’s surface and is the source of the solar wind.

It’s also a complete mystery. Scientists still don’t know how the corona is heated to such extreme temperatures.

NASA scientists hope to get more data and answers to other questions when they launch a research aircraft to 50,000 feet (9.5 miles) on April 8 to conduct a series of experiments.

Some of the things they hope to observe include:

How fast do particles move when they are thrown into space?
Taken in infrared and visible light, try to identify new details in the middle and lower corona
Use a spectrometer to study the light emitted by the corona in hopes of learning more about the temperature and chemical composition of the corona and the particles it emits
Study the dust ring around the sun.Dust is the remnant left over from the formation of the solar system
Look for asteroids orbiting nearby.

Hundreds of citizen scientists are also expected to participate in Monday’s eclipse, studying issues such as the quiescence of birds and other wildlife, the drop in temperatures when sunlight is blocked, and the impact on communications.

US college students will release hundreds of weather balloons to monitor changes in the atmosphere.

Are there any health warnings?

Yes. If you try to view a solar eclipse using regular sunglasses, you may suffer permanent damage to your eyes.

If you plan on looking directly at it, you’ll need the right eclipse glasses, which are “thousands of times darker” than sunglasses, according to NASA.

But you need to make sure they work because counterfeit retailers will take advantage of them when the eclipse arrives and you could be tricked into buying fake products.

The American Astronomical Society recommends these three steps to check if your glasses are safe.

1. “Wear them indoors and look around. You shouldn’t be able to see anything through them, except very bright lights, which should appear very faint through your glasses. If you can see anything else, like home Supplies or furniture, pictures on the wall, your glasses aren’t dark enough to see the sun.”

2. “If your glasses pass the indoor test, take them outside on a sunny day, put them on, and look around again. You still shouldn’t be able to see anything through them except the sun shining through them something reflected off a surface or in a puddle.” , it should again appear very faint. “

3. “If your glasses also pass this test, look at the sun through your glasses for less than a second. You should see a sharp-edged disk (the visible “face” of the sun) with a comfortable brightness. Through your glasses filter, the sun may appear white, bluish-white, yellow or orange.”

The AAS says that if you feel your glasses pass all of these tests, they are “probably safe.”

When can the UK next see a total solar eclipse?

By 2026, 90% of the country will see a partial solar eclipse, but the Channel Islands won’t see a total eclipse until 2081 and the southwest until 2090.

The last total solar eclipse seen in the UK was in 1999, which was spotted in parts of Cornwall and Devon. Unfortunately, clouds obscured it from view in most other places where it should have been spotted.

Total solar eclipses usually occur every 18 months or so, but whether you can see one depends on your location and, of course, the weather. Partial exams are held two to five times a year – but with the same caveats.