Best places to see partial solar eclipse across England
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- The Moon will cover 90-96% of the Sun on 12 August — the biggest eclipse coverage in England since the total eclipse in 1999.
- The eclipse will run for roughly 1 hour 50 minutes, from approximately 18:20 to 20:10 BST, with exact times varying by location.
- South West England will see the most coverage within England, while parts of Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain will witness a total eclipse.
- The UK government is warning against viewing the eclipse through standard sunglasses, recommending eclipse glasses that meet ISO 12312-2:2015(E) standards or indirect methods.
- Safe viewing alternatives include homemade pinhole viewers, projecting the Sun's image through a colander or tree leaves, and using a pinhole projector onto paper.
- Regional outlets have published dedicated viewing guides for London, Yorkshire, the South West and Channel Islands, the South of England, and the North West.
Why it matters: With 90-96% coverage — the deepest since 1999 — this is the headline celestial event of the summer for millions across England, and the government's explicit warnings about unsafe viewing reflect real risks of permanent eye damage from staring at even a heavily obscured Sun.
Ask SkimNews
