Scots across the country came out in the hope of witnessing a once-in-a-generation solar eclipse, but many were left disappointed when it was covered by a blanket of cloud.
More than 90% of the sun was obscured by the Moon between about 6pm and 8.15pm on August 12, the most it has been blocked above UK skies since the total eclipse in 1999. It is expected to be the fullest eclipse over local skies until 2081.
Viewing events across Scotland
Crowds of skywatchers gathered at viewing events across Scotland on Wednesday evening eagerly awaiting the rare celestial phenomenon. People packed onto the summit of Calton Hill in Edinburgh, where the city’s astronomical society had organised a viewing event.
People formed a long queue at the observatory gates at the start of the evening hoping to collect a sought-after pair of eclipse glasses – but supplies ran out at about 6pm. Others had brought kitchen colanders or home-made devices made from cereal boxes or sheets of paper for viewing the eclipse indirectly.
Peak coverage times
The eclipse began shortly after 6pm, with the “peak” extent of the sun’s coverage happening at slightly different times in different areas of the country. It peaked in Inverness at 7.03pm, when 90.74% of the sun was obscured, while in Edinburgh the peak came at 7.06pm, when 90.71% of the sun was covered. Some western areas of the country saw more than 92% coverage.
The skies above Edinburgh were covered by hazy clouds throughout the period of the eclipse, with the sun completely hidden behind thick cloud in the 15 minutes or so leading up to the peak. People could be heard discussing the cloud cover, and whether there would be a gap in time for them to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon.
Cheers as sun re-emerges
Cheers then broke out when the sun re-emerged shortly before 7pm, giving people a clear view of the partially-covered sun. Sophie Harju, 26, and Jack Nevin, 27, both from Edinburgh, watched the eclipse using a homemade pinhole camera and a colander.
Ms Harju, who works in the NHS, said she had not known what to expect, but that it had been “impressive”. “It was a nice experience to see so many people out. But we maybe were expecting it to get a bit darker,” she said. “It was a cool event to be part of and nice to see a little bit”. She added: “This is the biggest Fringe show”.
Mr Nevin, who works in sustainability, said it was “cool” to see so many people come out to see it. “People like the spectacle,” he said. “They like when you can metric something, when you can say ‘this won’t happen again until this time’. “I think people like to get together when there is something they can say is unique and novel”.
A special moment
David Ellis-Shea, who had come out to watch the eclipse with his wife and eight-month old daughter, said it was a “special moment”. “We watched the Moon pass slowly in front of the sun, in between broken cloud,” the 34-year-old, who had been wearing eclipse glasses, said. “We got very lucky to see it perfectly as it crossed over a sort of gap in the clouds. Almost perfect timing really.”
He added it had been important to bring his daughter to see it given the next eclipse of this scale is not due to happen until 2081. “We were both reflecting that we probably won’t be here for that, but she may well be,” he said. “And it was just a special moment to share with her, and hopefully she’ll be able to share that moment in the future with her family if she’s still around then, and remember the time she spent with us here.”
