Dr Chris Riley, a scientist and filmmaker who helped present a nationally broadcast eclipse programme in 1999, has described witnessing a total solar eclipse from Alderney that year as a turning point that made him a lifelong "part-time eclipse chaser". He had originally been assigned to cover the event from Cornwall but was redirected to Alderney the day before totality, joining broadcaster Jamie Theakston for a live show watched by 13 million people. In the decades since, he has travelled to multiple countries to witness further total eclipses, most recently preparing to observe one over Spain.
it was the most amazing experience of my life
What did Dr Riley experience on Alderney in 1999?
He was stationed at the last viewing point within the British Isles for that eclipse, watching alongside roughly 250 astronomers gathered at the top of the island for an elevated view of the spectacle. He said the rush of darkness sweeping in produced a physical reaction.
really sends the hairs on the back of your neck up, it's a pretty special thing
He recalled the sense of novelty that came with witnessing his first eclipse.
The first time you do anything is always perhaps the most special and, with an eclipse, it is particularly the case.
Describing the moment more vividly, he pointed to the way the surrounding sea changed colour as the shadow approached at extraordinary speed.
You could really see the colour of the water change as this huge wall of darkness rushed towards us at 2,000 miles an hour.
At the time, he summed up the experience simply.
We've just stood in the shadow of the moon.
How did the darkness unfold around him?
He described the onset of totality as an almost disorienting sensory shift, with darkness closing in from every direction at once.
Everything went dark. There was this eerie twilight around us 360 degrees. I was so moved.
He added a further description of the shadow's movement across the sky and sea toward the French coast.
You could literally see the sky darkening behind us and this huge wall of darkness rushing over our heads and out towards France.
How has his eclipse chasing continued since then?
Riley said the Alderney experience set him on a path of pursuing eclipses wherever they occurred.
After experiencing it there I've chased them around the world as much as I could in those decades since. It all began in Alderney.
He specialises in space flight and astronomy and has presented eclipse broadcasts from Zambia in 2001 and the Faroe Islands in 2015. He has also personally witnessed total eclipses in Oregon in the United States in 2017 and in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2024, and was preparing to travel to Spain for the most recent total eclipse.
How does this connect to the Channel Islands' current eclipse activity?
Riley's account resurfaces as the region prepares for renewed eclipse interest. Archive footage of the 1999 event, which was the first total solar eclipse seen from mainland Britain since 1927, has been revisited in our earlier look back at the 1999 total solar eclipse seen from Alderney. Separately, astronomer Dr Jean Dean has told residents that the deepest partial eclipse visible from Guernsey since 1999 is expected on 12 August 2026, noting in our report on the rare lifetime eclipse event that the next total eclipse visible from the island will not occur until 2081. Astronomy groups across the South West of England and the Channel Islands are also organising free and ticketed viewing events, as detailed in our guide to safely watching the partial solar eclipse.
What is happening with this year's total eclipse?
According to NASA, the total solar eclipse on 12 August 2026 will sweep across Greenland, Iceland and Spain, with NASA-funded teams following the Moon's shadow to study the Sun and atmosphere. Coverage from a national broadcaster's report published on 10 August 2026 states the path of totality will stretch roughly 5,157 miles (8,300 kilometres), with totality beginning around 1:48pm ET in Reykjavik and 2:28pm ET in León, and that the eclipse path will also cross northern Spain and parts of northeastern Portugal. Footage cited from a video report describes this as the first total solar eclipse visible from Spain since 1905. Our own earlier feature, on eclipse chasers travelling the globe for a few minutes of darkness, published on 9 August 2026, explored why enthusiasts like Riley pursue these brief events across continents.
What happens next?
NASA is scheduled to host a live broadcast of the 12 August eclipse featuring telescope footage, views from a WB-57 research aircraft, and observations from Iceland and Spain, according to NASA's schedule of events. Observers along the shadow's path will experience totality at different local times as it crosses the region during the day. Once this eclipse passes, the next total solar eclipse is scheduled for 2 August 2027, visible across North Africa and the Middle East, according to the same report.
Key Facts
- Dr Chris Riley witnessed his first total solar eclipse from Alderney in 1999, redirected there the day before after originally being assigned to Cornwall.
- The 1999 broadcast, presented with Jamie Theakston, attracted 13 million viewers and involved around 250 astronomers gathered on Alderney.
- Riley has since observed eclipses in Zambia, the Faroe Islands, Oregon, Cleveland and Spain.
- The 12 August 2026 total eclipse crossed Greenland, Iceland and Spain, marking the first total eclipse visible from Spain since 1905.
- The next total solar eclipse after this one is due on 2 August 2027, over North Africa and the Middle East.
