Where to see the biggest solar eclipse since 1999
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- The August 12 eclipse will obscure up to 95% of the sun in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, with Bristol, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire seeing around 90%, making it the most dramatic UK-visible solar eclipse since August 1999.
- Royal Museums Greenwich says the next full solar eclipse in the UK isn't expected until 23 September 2090 — 66 years away — putting this August event at the top of the calendar for British astronomers.
- Eclipse timing runs from 18:17 BST (start) to 20:06 BST (end), with maximum coverage at 19:12; because it's an evening event, Bath Astronomers chair Simon Holbeche said an unobstructed western horizon is the key viewing criterion.
- The National Space Centre noted the arc of totality — where a full eclipse is visible — runs from Northern Russia across Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and Northern Portugal, missing the UK entirely.
- Bath Astronomers and Astro Thoughts have handed out more than 7,000 pairs of free ISO-certified eclipse glasses to young people in the area, while the Bristol Astronomical Society is hosting a free public viewing at the Downs Sea Walls Viewpoint, Clifton, from 17:00 on August 12 with free glasses and specialist solar telescopes.
- The Royal Observatory Greenwich is live-streaming the event as a safe alternative to direct viewing, and is reminding the public that only ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses — not regular sunglasses — are safe for looking at the sun.
Why it matters: With the next UK total eclipse 66 years away, this partial event is a once-in-a-generation spectacle — free public glasses from Bristol and Bath astronomical societies mean cost isn't a barrier, but clear western skies and a low evening sun (max coverage at 19:12 BST) will determine who actually sees it versus who sees cloud cover.
