Millions of people across the UK and Europe gathered on Wednesday to witness a rare solar eclipse, with the event marking the most dramatic such spectacle in the UK in nearly three decades.
The eclipse reached its peak in the UK shortly after 19:00 BST, with most parts of the country experiencing more than 90 percent coverage of the Sun by the Moon.
While the UK experienced a partial eclipse, parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain witnessed a total eclipse, plunging areas along its path into darkness.
Large crowds gathered at viewing sites across the UK and Europe, reacting with cheers and amazement as the Moon gradually moved across the Sun.
The eclipse began at the northern tip of Siberia before moving across the Arctic Ocean and reaching Iceland in the early evening. It then continued southwards towards Europe.
In the UK, the partial eclipse began at about 18:00 BST in northern Scotland and shortly before 18:20 on England’s south coast.
Clear skies allowed much of central and southern England and Wales to enjoy unobstructed views, while cloudier conditions affected parts of northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The event also created a rush for solar eclipse glasses, with supplies reportedly running short ahead of the eclipse. Some spectators instead used simple methods such as colanders, cereal boxes and pieces of paper to safely view the phenomenon.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, blocking some or all of the Sun’s light and casting a shadow on Earth.
From most parts of the UK, the Moon covered about 90 percent of the Sun, making it the country’s most significant eclipse since 1999. Coverage reached about 95 percent in Cornwall.
Spain experienced the event in its full form, with the Sun, Moon and Earth becoming perfectly aligned at about 19:30 BST, creating a total solar eclipse.
Yasmin Catricheo, a Chilean scientist who travelled to A Coruña in north-west Spain to watch the event, described the experience as unforgettable.
“At the totality, everyone was cheering and sharing the excitement of what we were seeing. No words could describe the feeling,” she said.
“The Universe is amazing.”
During totality, the Moon completely blocked the Sun, revealing its corona, the superheated outer atmosphere that appears as glowing jets of gas around the darkened Sun.
The total phase lasted less than two minutes, although the spectacle was expected to remain memorable for those who witnessed it.
Total solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth roughly every 18 months but are far less common in any particular location, occurring at a given place only about once every 400 years.
The rarity is partly due to the apparent size of the Sun and Moon in Earth’s sky. Although the Sun is about 400 times wider than the Moon, it is also roughly 400 times farther from Earth, making both appear almost the same size.
Astronomers say the period from 2026 to 2028 will offer eclipse enthusiasts a rare opportunity to witness three total solar eclipses around the world.
However, none of those total eclipses will be visible from the UK. The country will experience another partial eclipse in 2027, with some regions seeing around 45 percent coverage.
The UK will not experience a fuller eclipse than Wednesday’s until 2081, when up to 99 percent of the Sun is expected to be covered.
The country’s next total solar eclipse is expected in 2090.
Ojo Triumph
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