
Solar eclipses only take place during a new Moon phase. What phase is the Moon in during a solar eclipse? Other parts of the UK experienced a partial eclipse. It could be seen over Cornwall and parts of Devon, which were on the path of totality, although cloud cover ruined the view for many areas. The last total eclipse in the UK was on 11 August 1999. When was the last total solar eclipse in the UK?
HOW TO SEE THE ECLIPSE SAFELY IN MICHIGAN FULL
A partial eclipse should be visible from the UK, with about 90% of the Sun covered.Ī full list of eclipses is available on NASA's website. Some upcoming solar eclipses and the best places to see themĢ5 October 2022: partial solar eclipse visible from the UK, Europe, western Russia, the Middle East, western Asia and northeast Africa.Ĩ April 2024: total solar eclipse visible across parts of North America.Ģ9 March 2025: partial solar eclipse visible from northwest Africa, UK, Europe and northern Russia.ġ2 August 2026: total solar eclipse visible from the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, Atlantic Ocean and northern Spain. Generally, total solar eclipses are visible every 400 years from any one place. Viewers in areas outside the path will see a partial eclipse (or no eclipse at all). The path of totality is the area in which a full eclipse will be completely visible. Whether you can view that eclipse depends on where you are in the world.Īs the Earth rotates, the Moon's shadow on Earth (and the view of the eclipse) travels from west to east. There are two to five solar eclipses each year, with a total eclipse taking place every 18 months or so. This type of eclipse occurs because the Moon's orbit around Earth is elliptical rather than perfectly circular, so sometimes the Moon is further away from Earth than at other times and looks smaller. This does not detract from their impressive appearance.Īnnular eclipses occur when the Moon's apparent diameter (the width of the Moon as we perceive it from Earth) is less than the Sun's and so the Moon doesn't cover the Sun completely like it does in a total eclipse - we still see its rim. They are nicknamed 'ring of fire' eclipses, although there is not actually a ring of fire but a ring of light. Annular eclipses are another type of solar eclipse.
