The eclipse will be visible from the majority of Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East, and western Asia, with the best views depending on your position.
Tuesday, the entire United Kingdom will be able to view a partial solar eclipse that will make the sun appear to have been “bitten in half.”
Experts have advised against looking directly at the sun, while Scotland and Northern Ireland are predicted to have the greatest views.
In London, the eclipse will begin at 10:08 a.m. and reach its peak at 11:13 a.m., when the moon will cover almost 15% of the sun.
At mid-eclipse, Lerwick in the Shetland Islands should have a decent view, with 28% of the sun hidden.
At 10.53 am, 25% of the sun is predicted to be obscured in Belfast.
The solar event will be visible from the majority of Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East, and western Asia.
Jake Foster, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, stated, “The amount of obscuration you observe will vary according to your location.
“From the United Kingdom, 10% to 20% of the sun will be obscured by the moon.
Even though a portion of the sun’s light will be obstructed during the eclipse, it will not get appreciably darker in the United Kingdom.
At 11:51 a.m., the partial eclipse will end.
The occurrence, according to Dr. Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society, would cause the moon to obscure the view of “part or all of the dazzling solar surface” and the sun will “look to have a bite taken out of it.”
Observers in western Siberia, Russia, will have the finest view of the eclipse, as the moon will block up to 85 percent of the sun, according to him.
How should the eclipse be viewed?
Dr. Massey advised against using binoculars, telescopes, or telephoto lenses on digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras to witness the event, as it can cause serious eye injury.
He continued, “Using a pinhole in a piece of card is the easiest technique to observe an eclipse.
“An image of the sun can then be projected onto a second card placed behind it” (experiment with the distance between the two, but it will need to be at least 30cm).
Under no circumstances should the pinhole be viewed.
Mirror projection, according to Dr. Massey, is another popular method for viewing an eclipse.
He stated, “You’ll need a small, flat mirror and a way to position it in the sun so that it reflects sunlight into a room where it can be viewed on a wall or flat screen.”
“Spectacles with a verified safety mark may also be purchased from astronomy vendors.
“You can then see the sun through them if they are not damaged in any way.”
Additionally, binoculars and telescopes can be used to project a picture of the sun.
Dr. Massey advised, “Mount them on a tripod and place one card with a hole above the eyepiece and another between 50 centimeters and one meter behind it.”
“Point the telescope or binoculars at the sun, and its vivid image should appear on the separate card.”
The Royal Observatory Greenwich will stream the eclipse on its website and YouTube channel for those interested in following the event.
