Eight regions of the UK stand the best chance of seeing the rare partial solar eclipse on Wednesday, with the south-west of the country expected to have the clearest skies. The Moon will move between the Sun and Earth, blocking its light and casting a small shadow on Earth for just under two hours in the evening.
This year marks the greatest coverage visible from the UK since 1999, according to Royal Museums Greenwich, with around 90% of the Sun covered by the Moon for people watching from London.
Timings and coverage
The Moon will begin to cover the edge of the Sun, known as first contact, at 6.17pm for people in England's capital, before reaching its maximum at around 7.12pm and finishing at 8.06pm.
Dr Carys Herbert, an astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich, said Cornwall will experience 96% coverage, West Scotland 93%, and London 92%. Elsewhere, the Moon will block 95% of the Sun in Plymouth, and 93% in Cardiff and Belfast.
Best viewing locations
Dr Herbert added: "It will be low on the horizon. So anyone who is wanting to go and see it should probably find a spot with a nice view to the western horizon without any buildings or trees in the way. Everyone in the UK is going to have a very good eclipse."
The South and South East of the country are likely to have the clearest skies, allowing for the best views, whereas Scotland and Northern Ireland have a higher chance of thick cloud and rain.
Safety precautions
Anyone wanting to watch the spectacular event must take proper safety precautions, as looking at an eclipse with the naked eye can cause damage. Bright rays from the Sun can burn the cells in the retina at the back of the eye, and the retina doesn't have pain receptors, so the damage isn't felt as it happens. This can result in vision loss or blurry spots that may become permanent.
To avoid this, it's recommended to wear a pair of ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses, as they only allow a small amount of light to pass through. Regular sunglasses are not good enough as they don't block enough light and therefore can still cause permanent eye damage. Legitimate eclipse glasses will have the safety certification "ISO 12312-2" or "ISO 12312-2:2015" printed somewhere on them.
Best places to watch the eclipse
- Devon: Exmoor, Plymouth
- Cornwall: Land's End, Talland Bay, Falmouth
- Bristol: Clifton, the Downs
- Dorset: Golden Cap, Bournemouth, Durdle Door, Hengistbury Head
- Wales: Cardiff, Pembrokeshire, Swansea, Elan Valley
- Belfast
- Isles of Scilly
- West Scotland
