Need to know: Solar eclipse 2021 – how and when to see it in the UK

On Thursday 10 June, sky-gazers in Greenland, Iceland, the Arctic, most of Europe, much of North America and Asia will witness the biggest partial solar eclipse since 2015.

It won’t be quite as dramatic as the total eclipse of 1999, but it’s still a spectacle not to be missed. 

Here’s what you need to know to gear up for tomorrow. 

What is a solar eclipse? 

Solar eclipses take place when the Moon comes between the Earth and the Sun, blotting out some of the Sun’s light and casting a shadow on Earth. 

The type of solar eclipse depends on where the Moon is in its elliptical orbit. If it is at its closest point to Earth when it crosses paths with the sun, it will block almost all of the Sun’s rays, and a total eclipse ensues. 

But if the Moon is at one of its furthest points from the Earth, fewer rays will be blocked and a small ring of red light -known as an “annulus” – will be visible from some places on Earth. This spectacle is known as an annular eclipse. You need to be in a very specific location to see an annular or total solar eclipse.  

What will people see tomorrow? 

The eclipse will look different in different parts of the world. The Moon’s shadow will mainly fall across the Arctic and Greenland. But the Moon won’t be very close to the Earth when it crosses paths with the sun tomorrow, meaning that even in these areas it will only be large enough to block up to 89 per cent of light.

For those in Greenland, northern Canada and north-eastern Russia, a ring of fire will appear in the skies for over three minutes. 

People in the UK won’t get to experience this annular eclipse but they will witness a partial eclipse – where the moon takes a bite out of the sun. 

Although we won’t be thrown into complete darkness like in 1999, those in Scotland will see nearly a third of the Sun’s light blocked by the moon. 

The further north you are, the more dramatic the effect will be. Londoners can expect to see about one fifth of the Sun vanish behind the Moon.

When does it start? 

The moon will begin its slow creep across the face of the sun at 10:07 am BST in the UK. 

The partial solar eclipse will reach its maximum at 11:14 am, concluding at 12:26 pm. The times above are correct for the centre of the UK and will vary slightly with location.

What precautions should I take?

Unless you want to fry your retinas, you should never look directly at a solar eclipse – be it total, annular or partial – without appropriate eye gear. 

Nor should binoculars, telescopes or cameras be used unless you have the appropriate solar filters.

If you want to watch the eclipse unfold safely, buy a pair of solar eclipse glasses which sufficiently dim the sunlight. 

If you haven’t snagged a pair of glasses or fancy something more novel, the website epicurious suggests using a colander. Go outside, hold it out and you’ll actually be able to see the eclipse projected onto the ground in front of you. Each one of the colander holes will act as a pinhole camera meaning you’ll see hundreds of images of the crescent sun.