The UK is set to experience its fullest solar eclipse in 54 years on Wednesday, August 12, with the Met Office revealing the best places to see the cosmic phenomenon. Over 90% of the sun will be blocked by the moon between 6.17pm and 8.06pm, the most it has been covered above UK skies since the total eclipse in 1999. The next time the moon will cover this much of the sun will be in 2081, so some Brits will want to make the most of Wednesday's solar eclipse.
Best Locations for Viewing
The Met Office shared a list of the best locations in the UK for the event. The places due to see the eclipse at its fullest are Devon, Cornwall, and the westernmost parts of Pembrokeshire. From these locations, a range of 94% to 96% of the sun will be obscured by the moon.
Plymouth in particular is forecast to see the moon cover 94.66% of the sun at 7.16pm on Wednesday, according to the Met Office. Other locations will also see a huge portion of the sun covered, with the rest of Wales, Northern Ireland, parts of the West Midlands and the South West, and the westernmost parts of Scotland expected to see 92% to 94% solar coverage.
In Cardiff, the moon is forecast to obscure 93.24% of the sun at 7.13pm, while in Belfast it will cover 93.09% of the sun at 7.08pm. Skygazers in the rest of the country will not completely miss out, as most people will see the moon obscure 90% to 92% of the sun.
Coverage Across the UK
Birmingham is expected to see 91.79% coverage at 7.12pm, 91.41% in London at 7.13pm, 90.74% in Inverness at 7.03pm, 90.71% in Edinburgh at 7.06pm, and 90.22% in Newcastle at 7.07pm.
Skygazers really keen to catch a sight of the fullest possible solar eclipse should avoid the easternmost parts of the UK, where only 88% to 90% coverage is expected. These areas include the coasts of Norfolk, Yorkshire, and Aberdeenshire, as well as the Orkney and Shetland Islands.
Safety Warning from Royal Observatory
A warning has been put out to the public by the Royal Greenwich Observatory, who said regular sunglasses are not a safe enough method to view the cosmic phenomenon. Imo Bell, a planetarium astronomer at the observatory, previously said: "It's not a total eclipse, but over 90% is really exciting. We’re not going to get one this good for a really long time. So, it's important not to miss it, and to be prepared. You can't just go out and expect to have a look because it's really dangerous for your eyes."
Bell said solar eclipse glasses are ideal, noting they are "very, very different from sunglasses – they block out so much light that you can't see anything through them except the sun, because that’s how much light they need to block for the damaging light of the sun to be safe to view." Bell also suggested people could look at whether their local astronomy society is holding any events for the occasion, and advised getting to a vantage point facing west, with minimal buildings around, as the best way to view the eclipse.
