The most dramatic solar eclipse visible from the UK since 1999 is set to occur later tonight, with the Moon passing between Earth and the Sun. This celestial event will cast a thin strip of the Earth's surface into total darkness, and while the UK will not experience totality, parts of the country will see up to 96 per cent coverage of the Sun obscured by the Moon.
According to the Mirror, the eclipse will be visible across much of Europe, with Spain, Portugal, and Iceland due to observe a rare total eclipse. In the UK, the west and south are expected to see up to 96 per cent coverage, with most of the country likely to get above 90 per cent. In a partial eclipse, the Moon appears to take a bite out of the Sun, creating twilight conditions rather than full night-like darkness. The last total eclipse visible from Ireland was on August 11, 1999.
When is the next solar eclipse after tonight?
For skygazers wondering when the next eclipse will be visible from the UK, the wait is not short. The next partial solar eclipse will occur on August 2, 2027, with totality visible in southern Spain, North Africa, and the Middle East. In the UK, the event will begin around 9am BST, reach its maximum at around 10am, and end about an hour later. Londoners are expected to see roughly 42 per cent coverage, while southern and south-western areas could see slightly more.
After 2027, the next significant eclipse will not occur until September 3, 2081, when up to 99 per cent of the Sun will be obscured by the Moon. According to Royal Museums Greenwich (RSG), Cornwall and the south coast will be the best places to observe it. Then, on September 23, 2090, the UK will finally experience a total solar eclipse – the first since 1999 – with the southern coast again the prime viewing location.
Partial eclipses in the coming decades
RSG states that the next partial eclipses will be in 2030, with 50 per cent coverage, 2053, with 40 per cent coverage, and 2066, with 60 per cent coverage. These will be followed by 2075 and 2082, with 70 per cent coverage, and 2088 with 40 per cent coverage. A handful of more minor eclipses will also occur in between.
Tonight's eclipse will therefore be the best chance for UK viewers to witness such an event for many years, as none of the upcoming decades will bring anything like it. The last total eclipse visible from Ireland was in 1999, and the next total eclipse from the British Isles won't happen until 2090.
