People across the UK will be hoping to catch a glimpse of the partial solar eclipse tomorrow (Friday 20 March).
Guildford residents will be able to catch the best views from Newlands Corner two miles from Guildford off the A25, and at St Martha’s Hill between Guildford and Chilworth. The public can access the site by walking from the Halfpenny Lane car park.
The eclipse is due to begin in the UK at 8.45am, while the maximum eclipse (this is when the moon is nearest the middle of the sun) will be at 9.31am. Things are expected to return to normal at 10.41am.
It’s estimated that 85% of the Sun’s light over London and the South-East will be blocked by the moon.
So what’s so special about the eclipse? A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes directly between the Sun and the Earth, and the moon fully or partially blocks the sunlight and casts a moving shadow on Earth’s surface.
These events are rare so it’s worth trying to catch tomorrow’s eclipse. If you miss it, the next partial eclipse will be 2026 and the next time the UK will see a total solar eclipse will be 2090…
How can you watch it safely? You might not have time to get special solar filter glasses now, so the next best way to view a solar eclipse would be to grab two pieces of card…All you have to do is:
- Take both pieces of card and cut a hole in one of them (about 4mm-5mm in length should do).
- Point the card with the hole towards the Sun and use it to project an image of the eclipse onto the other card.
- Enjoy the show!
(Please don’t look directly at the sun as it can cause severe eye damage or even blindness!)
You can find more information the solar eclipse on the Met Office website: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/events/partial-solar-eclipse#?tab=map&map=ScreenTemperature&zoom=5&lon=-4.00&lat=55.58&fcTime=1426734000
Samina Bhatti