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Annular Eclipse: How To See The Solar Eclipse In The UK This Week

Annular Eclipse: How To See The Solar Eclipse In The UK This Week

Keep your eyes peeled for the crescent sun…

Kimberley Bond

Kimberley Bond

Astronomy fans, it's time to look to the skies as the UK is expected to see a partial solar eclipse later on this week.

On Thursday morning, the Moon will block out one third of the Sun as it passes between planet Earth and the Sun - also known as an annular eclipse.

The UK will see a crescent sun (
Unsplash)

It sees the Sun and Moon both exactly in line with the Earth, with the Sun appearing as an 'annulus' (a bright ring), which has been likened to 'a ring of fire' by astronomers (not to be confused with the drinking game).

However, due to the time of the event and the UK's location, we will see a crescent Sun instead of a ring.

Speaking about the unusual phenomenon, Dr Emily Drabek-Maunder, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told PA: "This 'ring of fire' will be seen from Russia, Greenland and northern Canada.

"From the UK, the annular solar eclipse will be a partial eclipse, meaning that we'll only see the Moon pass in front of a small part of the Sun."


The event will be taking place on Thursday morning (
Pexels)

Keen to see this unusual event in our skies? Well, the solar eclipse is expected to begin at 10.08am UK time, with the maximum eclipse occurring at 11.13am. The event will end at 12.22pm, so try and grab some time to see it while you're on your lunch break.

Of course, while the Sun will be partially covered by the Moon, it is never a good idea to look directly at the event without protection as it can lead to serious and irreparable damage to your vision.

Using binoculars, telescopes or a telephoto lens to view the eclipse could also harm your eyesight.

Instead, Dr Drabek-Maunder suggests using a simple pinhole projector, solar eclipse viewing glasses - which can be purchased online, or special solar filters - which can fit on telescopes, to observe the eclipse.

The event should only be viewed using special ocular protection (
Unsplash)

She said: "You can make a projector by poking a small hole into a piece of card.

"Hold the card up to the Sun so that light shines through the hole and on to a piece of paper behind the card.

"You will be able to see the shape of the Sun projected on to the piece of paper and watch its shape change as the Moon passes in front of the Sun."

The Royal Observatory Greenwich is also live-streaming the eclipse on its website and YouTube channel.

Featured Image Credit: Unsplash

Topics: UK News, News