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Tonight the UK will witness its most dramatic solar eclipse in almost 30 years
The partial solar eclipse happening today is set to be the most visible eclipse across the the UK and Ireland since 1999 (Image: AFP via Getty Images) Wales will experience a partial solar eclipse for the first time in nearly three decades, with the phenomenon set to be the most visible eclipse across the UK and Ireland since 1999.
On Wednesday, August 12, the moon is set to obscure between 90% and 96% of the sun depending on your location, causing the sky to become noticeably darker. Another partial eclipse with this level of coverage won’t occur until 2050, so you won’t want to miss it.
In Wales, the partial solar eclipse can be observed from 6.13pm to 8.06pm on Wednesday. The moon will start to obscure the sun and it concludes just before sunset as the moon shifts away.
The precise time and degree of coverage will differ depending on your location. Cardiff is expected to see approximately 93% coverage, beginning at 6.16pm.
Whether you’re on your way to collect solar eclipse glasses or setting up for the big event, send your best pictures of the day to newsdesk@walesonline.co.uk or message us through Facebook.
See our live updates on the solar eclipse throughout the day by following our blog below.
Today 11:44 BST
Eclipse glasses being sold in Cardiff for £19.99 sell out in under an hour
In Cardiff’s Morgan Arcade, customers lined the arcade on Tuesday afternoon after specialist store Camera Centre announced it was selling glasses for the eclipse. With over 200 glasses in stock, store supervisor Llyr didn’t anticipate for stock to be sold out within an hour.
Customers queued at the store with some buying singular pairs of the £19.99 glasses or whole boxes ready for the eclipse on Wednesday evening. Solar eclipse postcode search shows you when to see it where you live in Wales
Elsewhere in south Wales, Barry Island also saw a huge queue of customers hoping to purchase a pair of the glasses that will allow ou to look directly at the eclipse.
Today 11:04 BST
After the eclipse
After the eclipse, you can stay to enjoy great views of the Milky Way and the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks between midnight and 5:30 AM.
Today 10:38 BST
Other parts of UK best to see the eclipse
The best place to watch the eclipse in the whole of UK has been named as the Isles of Scilly, specifically Hugh Town which will see a coverage of 96.4% at 7.16pm.
Space.com said: “The Isles of Scilly combine Britain’s deepest partial eclipse with some of southern England’s darkest skies. From Hugh Town and nearby west-facing beaches on St Mary’s, the eclipsed sun will hang low above the Atlantic Ocean late in the day.
“Later that night, with minimal light pollution and broad sea horizons, the islands are an exceptional place to watch the Perseid meteor shower beneath pristine late-summer skies.”
The space experts also highlight several spots across the UK for peak eclipse viewing. This includes:
Land’s End in Penzance Boscastle in Cornwall Exmoor National Park in Somerset and north Devon Galloway Forest Park in Dumfries and Galloway Northumberland National Park Kielder Water & Forest Park in Northumberland Giant’s Causeway in Bushmills, Northern Ireland Today 09:55 BST
‘Greatest solar eclipse since 1999’
According to the Met Office, the next chance to see an eclipse as good as this evening’s will be 2081.
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Today 09:39 BST
How to safely watch the eclipse without glasses
Solar eclipse glasses have become completely unavailable across Wales, and it seems virtually impossible to secure delivery by this evening even through major online retailers. Nevertheless, those hoping to witness the first near-total solar eclipse in the UK since 1999 can still do so safely using several alternative methods.
One of the most straightforward alternatives requires nothing more than an ordinary kitchen colander. Rather than gazing directly towards the Sun, observers can use its perforations to cast images of the eclipse onto the ground or another flat surface.
Imo Bell, a planetarium astronomer at the Royal Observatory, explained:
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. Today 09:21 BST
What is a solar eclipse?
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, blocking some or all of the Sun’s light.
During a total solar eclipse, it gets almost completely dark. Partial eclipses, on the other hand, make the sky look more like twilight.
The shadow has two parts: the umbra, where all sunlight is blocked, and a total eclipse happens, and the penumbra, where only some sunlight is blocked, creating a partial eclipse.
Partial solar eclipses are quite common, and our planet experiences multiple of these types of eclipses every year; roughly 35% of all solar eclipses are standalone partial eclipses.
However, according to the Natural History Museum, for any single specific location on Earth, a total solar eclipse is a very rare event that happens only about once every 400 years on average.
The next total solar eclipse visible from the UK won’t be until 23 September 2090.
Today 09:03 BST
Regular sunglasses ‘not safe enough’
The Royal Greenwich Observatory 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.
“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.”
(Image: Getty)
Today 09:03 BST
Solar eclipse postcode search shows you when to see it where you live in Wales
Use our postcode search tool to see the exact moment when the moon will start to move in front of the sun from the viewpoint of your back yard – and also the time when the eclipse will reach its peak where you are.
Today 09:03 BST
Best places in Wales to see the eclipse
As the 2026 eclipse occurs late in the evening, the ideal vantage point would be somewhere offering an unobstructed view of the west-northwest horizon.
Space.com has highlighted three outstanding locations in Wales for witnessing the solar eclipse.
These sites feature amongst the UK’s top 10 viewing spots, recognised not only for their geographical position but also for their remarkably low levels of light pollution:
Rhossili Bay: Rhossili Bay on the very end of Swansea’s Gower Peninsula will see roughly 93.8% coverage at 7.13pm. It is part of the Dark Sky Community which is said to “retain dark skies despite its popularity during the day.” The Llŷn Peninsula: The Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd will see coverage of 93.3% at 7.11pm. Its remote nature and expansive views will make for perfect eclipse viewing. Strumble Head: Strumble Head in Pencaer, Pembrokeshire, will offer the finest vantage point in Wales, with 94% coverage at 7.13pm. This West Wales location boasts one of the clearest west-facing horizons, making it perfect for observing the eclipse.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/solar-eclipse-wales-2026-live-34442941
