Stargazers are in for a treat as a solar eclipse is set to happen today.
The breath taking phenomenon happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth so that it blocks the sun’s light.
Unfortunately, the three will not be completely aligned, which means only part of the solar system‘s star will be covered.
It is expected to be visible from the UK from 9.56am to 12.14pm on Saturday, with maximum coverage – where the greatest percentage of the Sun is covered – at 11.03am.
In the UK, the moon will pass across the disc of the sun during a two-hour period.
Some parts of the country will see more of the eclipse than others with north-west Scotland being expected to see most of the coverage with 47.9% in Gallan Head.
Meanwhile, those in the south will not be able to enjoy as much as this will be the region which will see the least coverage with only 28.1% of the Sun blocked by the Moon, while Manchester is expected to have 36.1% of coverage.
The breath taking phenomenon happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth so that it blocks the sun’s light
Unfortunately, the three will not be completely aligned, which means only part of the solar system’s star will be covered
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: ‘The further north west you are in the UK, the more of an eclipse you are likely to have, whereas towards the south east it’s a little bit less – but still 30%, and still a large chunk taken out of the Sun.’
However, Dr Massey warns that it’s important never to look directly at the sun – not even through sunglasses, binoculars or a telescope.
‘Even though a third of the sun’s light is gone – it’s covered by the moon at its peak – it’s still really dangerous to look at,’ said Dr Massey.
‘Instead, what you need to do is either go to a public event where amateur astronomers might be projecting an image of the sun you can look at.
‘Or if you can get hold of certified, proper, good-standard eclipse shades (you can buy them online) they block out most of the harmful light from the sun.’
The eclipse can also be observed safely with everyday objects such as a kitchen colander and some paper to create a projection screen for the sun’s rays.
‘You hold the colander in the direction of the sun, put the card behind it, and as the eclipse progresses (and it likely depends on the size of the holes) you should see many tiny projections of the sun with a “bite” taken out of it,’ Dr Massey said.
Met Office cloud cover maps show clear skies across south-east England at the time that the eclipse starts, with partial cloud above Manchester and north-west England, and cloud above most of Scotland.
A solar eclipse occurs when the sun, moon and Earth are in alignment such that the moon appears – from certain locations – to completely block out the sun in the sky
Wherever you are in the UK tomorrow, around a third of the sun’s light will be blocked by the moon between 10am and 12pm. This colour-coded map shows where the partial eclipse will be visible, with the pink areas denoting a greater proportion of the sun covered by the moon
Temperatures in Britain will be hotter than Ibiza as sunshine and warmer weather are set to return in time for Mother’s Day
People enjoy the sunshine in Trafalgar Square on March 20, 2025 in London, England.
This unfortunately means the areas expected to have some of the best eclipse coverage are also likely to see cloud and rain at the time.
Ms Criswick added: ‘The unfortunate thing is, across the South East you’re only going to see about 30% of that eclipse, whereas further north west you could see about 50%.
‘But, unfortunately, that’s where we’re going to see the cloud and the rain, so there’s very little chance of seeing it here.’
With one third of the sun’s disk blocked, the light level will drop by a third too – but it won’t be noticeably darker, according to Dr Robert Massey from the Royal Astronomical Society.
‘The eye is so good at adapting to changing light levels that it’s surprisingly not that noticeable,’ he said.
‘The difference between full sunlight and a cloudy day can already be a factor of 100, and we’re easily able to cope with that.’
This happens as Spring warm weather finally begins to show itself in the country with temperatures set to climb this week including on Mother’s Day.
It will be hotter than Ibiza in some parts of the country with temperatures reaching highs of 17-19C on Monday and reaching 20-23C by Thursday and Friday.
As Dr Massey demonstrates, the event can be seen with a homebuilt solar telescope or ‘solarscope’ – where the light goes through a simple telescope poking out the front, hits a mirror and is projected onto a bit of card
South-east England is expected to see the warmest temperatures, with parts of south-west Scotland, the West Midlands, and north-west England also experiencing the peak of the warmth later in the week.
The rise in temperatures follows a brief period of unsettled weather on Friday and Saturday, which the Met Office described as occurring ‘in typical spring fashion’.
Despite the daytime warmth, clear skies at night could lead to chilly evenings and even rural frosts.
Met Office meteorologist Honor Criswick explained: ‘We are going to see a short-lived spell of unsettled weather this weekend before we transition back towards a blocked weather pattern as high pressure builds on Sunday and dominates our weather through much of next week.
‘While daytime temperatures will be warm next week, nights will still be chilly and there is still a chance we could see some rural overnight frosts under the clear skies.’
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, people in eastern Canada (especially Quebec and Newfoundland) and 13 eastern US states will be best placed to see the event.
Unfortunately, in the vast majority of the United States, as well as South America, Australia and most of Asia, it won’t be visible.
In the UK,