Birmingham residents are among those travelling considerable distances to get their hands on a pair of solar eclipse glasses, as major retailers across the UK have completely sold out ahead of Wednesday's solar eclipse. The event, on August 12, will be the most complete solar eclipse visible from Britain in 54 years, with more than 90% of the sun obscured.
The Royal Greenwich Observatory has confirmed it sold around 15,000 pairs of eclipse glasses over the past month, selling out entirely. The observatory has also sold all tickets to its observation event, but will provide a free live stream via its website and YouTube.
Corner shop overwhelmed by demand
Ali Raza, owner of the AM2PM corner shop in Whitechapel, told the Press Association that he has had to turn away numerous customers, with people coming from as far as Surrey, Southend-on-Sea, Southampton, and Birmingham. He said: "On Sunday we had people coming from Surrey, Southend-on-Sea, yesterday night a lady came from Southampton, and loads of people have come from Birmingham as well. We're too busy."
Raza added: "Today I already sold 6,000 pairs. At 2.30am we had a delivery from Spain and by 9.30am we sold out everything."
Where the eclipse will be most visible
Over 90% of the sun will be concealed by the moon between 6.17pm and 8.06pm on August 12, the greatest obscuration in Britain since the total eclipse in 1999. Devon, Cornwall, and the westernmost parts of Pembrokeshire in Wales are expected to see the eclipse at its most complete, with between 94% and 96% of the sun blocked out.
Exmoor National Park in north Devon, which holds international dark sky reserve status, has reported "large numbers" of visitors arriving for the event. A spokesperson told the Press Association they "couldn't keep up with demand" for eclipse glasses, adding: "We got to a point where we couldn't get any more from our supplier in time and we don't need them again, not until 2081."
The spokesperson advised visitors to head to high moorlands, coastal headlands, or Dunkery Beacon, the highest point on Exmoor, for an elevated view. They noted: "We've sold over 300 pairs of glasses but we could've sold that twice over." Exmoor will also host a now sold-out guided walk from the Hunters Inn pub, where participants will watch from Highveer Point.
Weather forecast and safety advice
The Met Office has stated that weather conditions across most of the nation will be "more or less perfect" for eclipse watching. A spokesperson said: "With clear skies forecast across much of the UK, conditions should be more or less perfect for many to experience the partial solar eclipse. The north and west of the country are most likely to struggle with cloud cover when viewing the eclipse on Wednesday evening, particularly across Northern Ireland and western Scotland."
Planetarium astronomer Imo Bell at the Royal Observatory Greenwich stressed that specialist glasses are essential for safe viewing, warning that ordinary sunglasses are inadequate. She said: "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."
She added that household items like colanders can project the eclipse safely: "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."
Specialists have cautioned that only dedicated solar eclipse glasses bearing ISO 12312-2 certification should be used. After the 1999 total solar eclipse, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists documented approximately 70 cases of individuals suffering vision difficulties, with around 40% having observed the eclipse for under a minute.
