A deep partial solar eclipse will be visible across the UK on 12 August, starting shortly after 6pm BST and reaching its maximum at around 7.13pm. From much of the country, about 90% of the sun's diameter will be obscured, making this the deepest solar eclipse visible here since 1999.
Viewing the Eclipse
The sun will be low in the western sky throughout the event, so a location with a clear horizon is recommended. It is never safe to look directly at the sun without certified eclipse glasses or a properly filtered telescope or binoculars.
Perseid Meteor Shower
As dusk gives way to darkness, the moon and the sun slip from view below the horizon, leaving a moonless night. This provides ideal conditions for the Perseids, which peak on the night of 12-13 August.
The shower is produced as Earth ploughs through a stream of dust left behind by Comet Swift–Tuttle. Each tiny grain strikes our atmosphere at about 60 kilometres per second, burning up in a brief flash that we see as a shooting star.
