The Met Office has named Devon and Cornwall as the top UK spots to watch the solar eclipse on Wednesday. Use our postcode finder to discover the best viewing spot near you or watch our stream here
The Met Office has unveiled the absolute prime locations to witness the UK’s most comprehensive solar eclipse in 54 years today – with holiday favourites Devon and Cornwall standing out as the premier destinations for this extraordinary celestial event.
More than 90% of the sun is expected to be obscured by the moon between 6.17pm and 8.06pm, representing the most significant blockage witnessed in British skies since the total eclipse of 1999.
The Daily Star has been scouring the length and breadth of the British Isles to identify the finest locations for aspiring eclipse watchers, and has even developed this postcode finder so you can discover the optimal spots in your area. You can also watch our livestream above.
For those prepared to journey for this incredible occasion, Devon, Cornwall and the furthest western parts of Pembrokeshire in Wales are the destinations to head for, and are set to experience the eclipse at its most dramatic, with between 94% and 96% of the sun masked by the moon.
Plymouth in particular is forecast to see the moon obscuring 94.66% of the sun at 7.16pm on Wednesday, according to Met Office data.
The rest of Wales, Northern Ireland, parts of the West Midlands and South West, along with Scotland’s most westerly regions can expect to observe 92% to 94% solar coverage.
In Cardiff, the moon is anticipated to conceal 93.24% of the sun at 7.13pm while in Belfast it will block 93.09% of the sun at 7.08pm.
Across the UK, stargazers are likely to see the moon obscuring between 90% and 92% of the sun – with Birmingham expecting 91.79% coverage at 7.12pm, London 91.41% at 7.13pm, Inverness 90.74% at 7.03pm, Edinburgh 90.71% at 7.06pm and Newcastle 90.22% at 7.07pm.
Those keen to witness the most complete solar eclipse should avoid the easternmost parts of the UK, where only 88% to 90% of the sun is predicted to be covered.
These areas include the coastlines of Norfolk, Yorkshire and Aberdeenshire, as well as the Orkney and Shetland Islands. The Royal Greenwich Observatory has also warned the public that regular sunglasses do not offer enough protection to safely watch this astronomical spectacle.
Imo Bell, a planetarium astronomer at the observatory, previously told the Press Association: “It’s not a total eclipse, but over 90% is really exciting. We’re not going to get one this good for a really long time.
“So, it’s important not to miss it, and to be prepared. You can’t just go out and expect to have a look because it’s really dangerous for your eyes.
“So, 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.
“Ideally a solar telescope is an amazing way to witness it, and if you don’t have one of them then you can look into whether your local astronomy society is doing any events.
“And 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, which is really cool.”
The next time the moon will obscure as much of the sun will be in 2081, and the following total solar eclipse in the UK will take place in 2090.
Ms Bell suggested finding a viewpoint facing west, with as few buildings as possible, for the best eclipse viewing experience.
“We might notice the sky getting a little bit dark, so if you’re looking safely, it’ll look a bit like the moon is taking a bite out of the sun, you’ll see something that looks a bit like a crescent sun.”
Reykjavik in Iceland and Spanish cities A Coruna, Oviedo, Zaragoza, Bilbao and Valencia will experience a total eclipse on Wednesday, where the moon completely obscures the sun.
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