WHAT TIME TO WATCH THE ECLIPSE TOMORROQW

A once in a generation opportunity to watch a solar eclipse from many parts of Western Europe takes place tomorrow (Wednesday 12th August 2026)

If watching, 

DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN WITHOUT EYE PROTECTION SUCH AS PROPER ECLIPSE GLASSES!


Across the UK, the Moon will cover roughly 90% to 95% of the Sun in the late afternoon and early evening. The event begins around 6:08 PM to 6:18 PM BST and ends near 8:00 PM to 8:10 PM BST, varying slightly depending where exactly in the UK you are.

Regional Eclipse Timings from the UK Mainland (British Summer Time)

  • Edinburgh & Glasgow: Begins at 6:08 PM; maximum coverage (approx. 91%) at 7:05 PM; ends at 8:00 PM.
  • Manchester & Liverpool: Begins at 6:13 PM; maximum coverage (approx. 91-92%) at 7:10 PM; ends at 8:03 PM.
  • Birmingham: Begins at 6:15 PM; maximum coverage (approx. 92%) at 7:11 PM; ends at 8:04 PM.
  • London, Bristol & Cardiff: Begins at 6:16–6:17 PM; maximum coverage (approx. 91-93%) at 7:12–7:13 PM; ends at 8:06–8:07 PM.
  • Truro, Cornwall: Begins at 6:18 PM; maximum coverage (approx. 95%) at 7:16 PM; ends at 8:10 PM.


Eclipse timings from Norway:

Local Type: Partial Solar Eclipse, in Norway

Start of Partial Eclipse: Wed, 12 Aug 2026, 18:39 CEST

End of Partial: Wed, 12 Aug 2026, 20:53 CEST


Eclipse timings from Ireland:

The partial solar eclipse will begin between 6.09pm local time in the north and a bit later the farther south you go. Mid-eclipse will be between 7.07pm and 7.13pm and will end just after 8pm across the island.

By mid-eclipse the sky will appear darker than expected but light levels will still be generally equivalent to a heavily overcast winter’s day, or 10-20 minutes before sunset on a clear evening.


Eclipse timings from France:

Local Type: Partial Solar Eclipse, in France

Start of Partial: Wed, 12 Aug 2026, 19:18 CEST

End of Partial: Wed, 12 Aug 2026, 21:16 CEST


Eclipse timings from Spain and Portugal:

In Spain and Portugal it will be possible to see not just a partial eclipse but a total one.

The solar eclipse in Portugal will happen on August 12, 2026, in the late afternoon. The event begins around 18:30, with the maximum peak occurring between 19:30 and 19:40 local time (WEST), just before sunset. 

Visibility and Local Times

Lisbon: Partial eclipse starts late afternoon; maximum coverage of about 94.4% happens at 19:36.

Porto: Deep partial eclipse reaching roughly 98% coverage around 19:32.

Bragança / Northeast: Near-total coverage (up to 99.9%) peaking right around 19:30.

Azores: Partial eclipse begins at 17:03 local time, peaking at 17:59


Spain: The total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026, will happen in the evening across Spain, starting as a partial eclipse around 7:30 PM CEST. Totality will begin between 8:26 PM and 8:33 PM CEST, happening very close to sunset just before the sun dips below the western horizon.


Eclipse timings from the Rock of Gibraltar:

Local Type: Partial Solar Eclipse in Gibraltar, Gibraltar

Begins:      Wed, 12 Aug 2026, 19:44

Maximum: Wed, 12 Aug 2026, 20:39 0.938 Magnitude

Ends:         Wed, 12 Aug 2026, 21:15

Duration:         1 hour, 31 minutes



Safety and Viewing Tips from all locations 

- PROTECT YOUR EYES

Protect your eyes: Never look directly at the Sun without certified ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses. 

Regular sunglasses are unsafe.

Find a clear horizon: Because the event takes place in the evening, find an open, elevated spot with an unobstructed view toward the west or west-north west.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Series overview: David Weber's "Honor Harrington" universe book reviews.

This page is an index page and overview for all the books of the "Honor Harrington" science fiction universe, or the "Honorverse." It will be updated as new Honorverse books are published and the plan is to put up reviews for all 40+ books in the series, which will be linked to here. This is a set of military and espionage science fiction, currently as of December 2025 containing more than forty books, set in a future universe in which mankind began to disperse over much of the galaxy, starting in 2103 AD. The main stories are set about two thousand years in the future, with two prequel series set about 400 years before, in what by our calendar will be the thirty-seventh century (the earliest book in the first Prequel series, " A beautiful Friendship, " is set 1518 years after the diaspora, or in 3621 AD/CE.) (See note below on chronology) The series has sometimes been described as "Ms Hornblower in space" because they contain some very strong an...
Read more

Darth Vader's caption challenge

Image
 "Star Wars Daily" posted this image from "A New Hope" today on X and asked " What is Darth Vader saying? " The majority of replies came from boring pedants who insisted on giving the correct answer, which is " You are part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor! Take her away. " However, there were a fair number of replies from people who, realising that this is a father pointing a finger at his 19-year-old daughter even if neither of them, nor anyone watching that film when it first came out, actually knew that, could not resist suggesting some more imaginative dialogue. Can anyone here suggest anything more amusing than the actual line in the film?
Read more

Star Wars Day quiz question.

 A question particularly apposite to today. Which organisation first coined the phrase " May the 4th be with you " on 4th May 1979 and as a complement to whom on what historic achievement?  If you want to submit an answer please put it in the comments. The correct answer will be confirmed  tomorrow morning. 
Read more