Specialist eclipse glasses priced at £19.99 sold out in under an hour at a Cardiff store on Tuesday, as shoppers across Wales queued to secure a pair ahead of Wednesday's partial solar eclipse.
Queues form in Cardiff and Barry Island
At the Camera Centre in Morgan Arcade, Cardiff, more than 200 pairs of glasses were in stock. Store supervisor Llyr said he did not anticipate the stock selling out within an hour. Customers queued along the arcade, with some buying single pairs and others purchasing whole boxes for the eclipse on Wednesday evening.
Elsewhere in south Wales, Barry Island also saw a large queue of customers hoping to buy glasses that allow direct viewing of the eclipse.
UKHSA safety advice
Spectators have been warned not to look at the sun without specialist equipment. The UKHSA advised: "Never use regular sunglasses to look at the sun during an eclipse. If you want to use eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers, make sure they are genuine eclipse glasses with specially designed filters that meet the international safety standard ISO 12312-2:2015(E). Genuine eclipse glasses are available from reputable retailers."
Eclipse visibility across Wales
The eclipse will be the largest visible from the UK since 1999. In Wales, it will start at 6.13pm, reach its peak at approximately 7.10pm-7.11pm, and conclude just after 8pm, ahead of sunset.
On the Gower Peninsula in Swansea, the eclipse will reach a maximum of 93.8%, while in Pencaer, Pembrokeshire, it will peak at 94%. Further north, 93.3% of the sun will be obscured in Gwynedd and 93.6% in Anglesey.
