UK Braces for Rare Solar Eclipse on Wednesday
Over 90% of the sun will be obscured, with Plymouth seeing 94.66% coverage; safety warnings issued for direct viewing.
Sarah Connor
The UK will witness a significant solar eclipse on Wednesday, with over 90% of the sun obscured by the moon.
Plymouth anticipates 94.66% solar coverage at 7:16 PM.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued a stark warning: looking directly at the sun without protection risks permanent eyesight damage.
The sun will appear dimmer than usual, a deceptive calm that could tempt direct viewing, the agency claims.
Regular sunglasses offer insufficient protection for this cosmic phenomenon, the Royal Greenwich Observatory confirms.
Eclipse glasses must carry an ISO 12312-2 safety rating and originate from a reputable retailer to ensure proper safeguarding.
You can’t just go out and expect to have a look because it’s really dangerous for your eyes.
Imo Bell, an expert, underscored the inherent danger, stating, "You can’t just go out and expect to have a look because it’s really dangerous for your eyes."
Bell further advised, "You can use solar eclipse glasses, which 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."
Viewing the eclipse indirectly provides a safe alternative, achievable through the shadow of a tree or a pinhole projector.
Bell also suggested, "If all else fails, you can project the image of the eclipse using a household item like a colander which has lots of holes in – point the colander towards the Sun with your back facing it, and in the shadow of the colander you’ll be able to see the eclipse in the holes, which is really cool."
The Royal Observatory in Greenwich will live stream the event for those unable to view it directly.
About 90 per cent coverage will reportedly be visible in London, with 95 per cent in the South West.
The weather forecast for 12 August in Yorkshire predicts hot and sunny conditions, with potential for some high cloud towards the west.
Ms Bell noted, "We might notice the sky getting a little bit dark, so if you’re looking safely, it’ll look a bit like the moon is taking a bite out of the sun, you’ll see something that looks a bit like a crescent sun."
Neil Sanders claims the event on Wednesday is an unmissable occasion; Chris Higgins adds it is a partial eclipse of almost nine-tenths of the sun's disk.
The Met Office claims the next time the moon obscures as much of the sun will be in 2081, with the next total solar eclipse in the UK not occurring until 2090.
The entire event is set to last approximately one hour and 50 minutes, commencing at about 18:20 BST and concluding by 20:10 BST.