The Met Office has revealed the best locations to view the UK’s fullest solar eclipse for the next 54 years on Wednesday – with Devon and Cornwall the top destinations for the event.
More than 90% of the sun will be obscured by the moon between 6.17pm and 8.06pm on August 12, the most it has been blocked above UK skies since the total eclipse in 1999.
Devon, Cornwall and the westernmost parts of Pembrokeshire in Wales are set to see the eclipse at its fullest, with a range of 94% to 96% of the sun obscured by the moon.
Plymouth in particular is forecast to see the moon cover 94.66% of the sun at 7.16pm on Wednesday, according to the Met Office.
The rest of Wales, Northern Ireland, parts of the West Midlands and the South West, and the westernmost parts of Scotland can expect to see 92% to 94% solar coverage.
In Cardiff, the moon is forecast to obscure 93.24% of the sun at 7.13pm while in Belfast it will cover 93.09% of the sun at 7.08pm.
Skygazers in the rest of the UK will likely see the moon obscure 90% to 92% of the sun – with 91.79% expected in Birmingham at 7.12pm, 91.41% in London at 7.13pm, 90.74% in Inverness at 7.03pm, 90.71% in Edinburgh at 7.06pm and 90.22% in Newcastle at 7.07pm.
Those most keen to catch a sight of the fullest possible solar eclipse should avoid the easternmost parts of the UK, where only 88% to 90% of solar coverage is expected.
These include the coasts of Norfolk, Yorkshire and Aberdeenshire, as well as the Orkney and Shetland Islands.
The Royal Greenwich Observatory also warned the public that regular sunglasses are not a safe enough method to view the cosmic phenomenon.
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.
The UK will experience a partial solar eclipse on Wednesday 12 August.
The extent of the Sun's coverage and the timing of maximum obscuration will differ across the country.
Never look directly at the sun; use a pinhole projector or certified eclipse glasses to view it. pic.twitter.com/lRfh8fq5uq
— Met Office (@metoffice) August 8, 2026
“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 obscures as much of the sun will be in 2081 and the next total solar eclipse in the UK will be in 2090.
Ms Bell advised getting to a vantage point facing west, with minimal buildings around, as the best way to view the eclipse.
“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 see a total eclipse on Wednesday, in which the moon fully obscures the sun.
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