A partial eclipse will be visible from the UK on Wednesday, August 12
A solar eclipse will be visible from the UK and Europe on the evening of August 12(Image: Getty Images)
An exciting moment is approaching for sky watchers across the world, as a solar eclipse is set to take place in a matter of weeks. On August 12, a partial solar eclipse will be visible across the UK, while a total eclipse will be visible from parts of Europe.
For the UK , the eclipse will see the Moon pass between the Earth and the Sun, obscuring around 90 per cent of the Sun from large parts of the country.
It is set to be the deepest solar eclipse visible from the UK since the famous 1999 event, when totality crossed parts of Cornwall and Devon.
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In Greater Manchester, sky watchers are set to see the moon cover around 91% of the sun’s light. In parts of Ireland, including Dublin, the moon could obscure 94 per cent.
People who are visiting European holiday hotspots, including the Balearic Islands in Spain, will be lucky enough to see totality, which is when the moon covers 100 per cent of the sun. This will also be witnessed from parts of mainland Spain, including Bilbao, and the western strip of Iceland, which includes Reykjavik.
The upcoming event is set to be the deepest solar eclipse visible from the UK since the famous 1999 event, when totality crossed parts of Cornwall and Devon(Image: Getty Images)
A spokesman for Royal Museums Greenwich said: “The new Moon and the Sun will gradually move closer together in the sky in the late afternoon. As the side facing us will be dark, the Moon will be invisible without specialist equipment,” reports Wales Online.
“At 6.17pm from London (timings vary slightly from other parts of the UK and Ireland), ‘first contact’ will occur, when the Moon first covers part of the disk of the Sun. The Moon will move slowly in front of the Sun until roughly 90 per cent of the Sun is covered (the eclipse’s maximum). This will be at 7.12pm from London.
“At the maximum, enough of the Sun will be covered to make a noticeable difference in the temperature and light levels. However, unlike with a total eclipse, the sky will not become dark – it will feel more like a cloudy day or close to dusk or dawn.”
They added: “After the maximum, the Moon will then slowly move off the Sun’s disk until the eclipse ends, at 8.06pm from London. Getting to a high point with a clear view of the western horizon will allow you to see the whole event.”
Below is a list of areas across the UK and Europe and how much of the sun’s light will be obscured by the moon on the evening of August 12.
How much of the sun will be covered by the moon
UK
Greater Manchester, England: 91%London, England: 91%Birmingham, England: 91%Dublin, Ireland: 94%Belfast, Northern Ireland: 93%Edinburgh, Scotland: 90%Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England: 90%Cardiff, Wales: 93%
Europe
Balearic Islands, Spain: 100%Barcelona, Spain: 99.85%Malaga, Spain: 94%Bilbao, Spain: 100%Madrid: 99.97%Lisbon, Portugal: 94%Porto, Portugal: 98%Faro, Portugal: 92%Paris, France: 92%Monaco, France: 94%Bordeaux, France: 97%Basel, Switzerland: 90%Florence, Italy: 93%Reykjavik, Iceland: 100%Agadir, Morocco: 79%