A partial solar eclipse will be visible across the UK tonight, with the Moon beginning to move across the Sun from around 6pm. At its peak in Cornwall, up to 95% of the Sun could be obscured.
Best locations for viewing
For the clearest view, heading somewhere with little light pollution can make all the difference. Light pollution, cloud cover and altitude can all affect how much of the night sky we can see, particularly in towns and cities.
Travel company Lotus Car Rental conducted a data-led study to find the best stargazing locations across the UK and Europe. The research analysed more than 60 locations, ranking them out of 10 based on factors including cloud cover, the Bortle scale – a nine-level measure of night-sky brightness – visible stars, Milky Way visibility, average daylight hours and altitude.
Top spots in the UK
Craig Goch Dam in Rhayader, Powys, Wales, took the top spot as the UK’s best place for stargazing, scoring 7/10 overall. It recorded 3.2 on the Bortle scale, indicating minimal light pollution and making it possible to see up to 5,000 stars, as well as the Milky Way.
Arinagour on the Isle of Coll in Scotland came second, followed by Tomintoul in Banffshire. The seven highest-ranked locations also offered good visibility of the Milky Way, while the bottom three were rated as having fair visibility, without specific details being visible.
UK's 10 best stargazing spots with cloud cover percentages
- Craig Goch Dam, Rhayader, Powys, Wales - 50%.
- Arinagour, Isle of Coll, Inner Hebrides, Scotland - 44%
- Tomintoul, Banffshire, Scotland - 43%
- La Coupée, Isle of Sark, Channel Islands - 56%
- Cliad football pitch, Isle of Coll, Inner Hebrides, Scotland - 44%
- Galloway Forest Park, Kirkcudbrightshire and Wigtownshire, Scotland - 50%
- Isle of Rum, Inner Hebrides Scotland - 46%
- Hay Bluff, Powys Wales - 49%
- Buckden Pike, North Yorkshire England - 49%
- Tan Hill Inn, Swaledale, North Yorkshire England - 49%
Across Europe, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon in Iceland was named the best stargazing location in Europe, recording the lowest levels of light pollution in the study.
