The UK is set to experience the greatest solar eclipse since 1999
Get your funky glasses ready as London prepares for an exciting partial solar eclipse next month. On Wednesday, August 12 the Moon will move between the Sun and Earth meaning light will momentarily be blocked from reaching us.
The Royal Greenwich Observatory said the UK will experience the starkest solar eclipse since 1999 with between 90 and 96 per cent of the Sun covered by the Moon. Spectators in parts of Greenland, Iceland and of northern Spain will see a total eclipse.
Astronomers say the new Moon and Sun will gradually move closer together in the sky throughout the late afternoon. As the early evening begins ‘first contact’ will occur at 6.17pm in London when the Moon first covers part of the Sun.
What time is best to see the eclipse?
From 6.17pm the Moon will slowly cover more of the Sun until there is roughly 90 per cent coverage at 7.12pm, when the eclipse reaches its maximum. At this point there will be a noticeable difference in both light levels and temperatures making it feel like it’s close to dusk or dawn.
The eclipse is set to end in London at 8.06pm, almost two hours after it began.
What are the safest ways to watch?
The Sun will appear dimmer than normal during an eclipse which makes it easier to look at directly. But health experts have warned this creates a conundrum.
The reduced brightness can override the body’s natural reflex to look away, allowing intense sunlight to reach and damage the retina. The damage happens without causing any pain, so you may not realise harm is occurring until it’s too late.
During the 1999 solar eclipse which was total in Devon and Cornwall, some 70 people reported experiencing vision problems in the aftermath. Some 40 per cent of those had looked at the Sun for less than a minute, according to the Royal College of Ophthalmologists.
Ordinary sunglasses do not provide adequate protection, and may even be more harmful as the reduction of glare will make it feel more comfortable to look at the Sun for longer allowing more harmful radiation to reach the retina.
Specialist eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers are the best way to experience the eclipse safely. These genuine glasses are available from reputable retailers, but be wary of products online which don’t meet requirements.
Other safe options include a pinhole viewer you can easily make at home, viewing the Sun through a colander or projecting the Sun’s image onto a sheet of paper using a simple pinhole projector.
How does it differ from a lunar eclipse?
Both solar and lunar eclipses can only happen during what astronomers call an ‘eclipse season’ – when the Earth’s orbit is closest to the Sun. This last between 31-37 days and happens twice year.
When a new Moon falls during this period, its shadow can fall on Earth to create a solar eclipse. When a full Moon falls, it can pass into the Sun’s shadow, causing a lunar eclipse.
But in order to get a full or partial solar or lunar eclipse one other key factor needs to fall in line. The Moon orbits the Earth on an angle of about five degrees.
This means most eclipses during eclipse season are missed because the new moons pass above or below the Sun from our point of view. But there are brief windows on the Moons trajectory where it does match the Earth’s alignment and its view of the Sun.
When this happens during eclipse season and a new Moon falls parts of Earth experience a solar eclipse. Then, two weeks (if we’re still in the eclipse window), a full Moon will lead to a lunar eclipse.
When will the lunar eclipse begin?
The partial lunar eclipse will begin at 3.33am on Friday, August 28. It will then peak at 5.12am where 90 per cent of the Moon is in Earth’s shadow. It will move slightly away from the Earth before the Moon sets and is no longer visible at about 6.15am.
Due to how close it is to dawn, the Moon will be increasingly low on the horizon so you’ll need to find a high point with a clear view to the southwest for the best view. Once the eclipse begins it will slowly dim and seem to disappear.
The, nearing the peak of the partial eclipse at 5.12am, the Moon will turn dark red while almost entirely in Earth’s shadow. This is because Earth’s atmosphere scatters blue light meaning only red light reaches the Moon.
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