On 12 August 2026, hundreds of people gathered at beaches, parks and viewpoints across Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Hertfordshire to watch a partial solar eclipse, with the Moon obscuring roughly 90% of the Sun's disc over southern England. Onlookers used protective glasses and improvised household items to view the spectacle safely, attending organised parties, picnics, workshops and talks held to mark the rare event. Eyewitnesses across the South East described the experience as "incredible" and "the strangest thing ever", as the sky dimmed and temperatures climbed into the 30s during the event.
Large numbers assembled along the coast near Goring-by-Sea, while other crowds climbed the South Downs and queued in cars near Beachy Head to get an unobstructed view of the sky. Further crowds gathered on beaches from Whitstable to Goring-by-Sea, at Ockham Common in Surrey, and at beauty spots including Lamberhurst and Sunbury-on-Thames, where onlookers photographed a helicopter crossing the partially eclipsed Sun. The Moon's transit across the Sun was recorded in a sequence image captured at Caterham in Surrey, while a partially eclipsed Sun was also photographed from Worthing in West Sussex.
The event unfolded between 18:20 and 20:10 BST, giving people across the UK their best chance to witness such a phenomenon since 1999, according to eyewitness accounts gathered across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
Near Goring-by-Sea, queues formed as people sought eclipse glasses to watch the Moon's progress across the Sun.
Elsewhere on the South Downs, Glenda Whiles and David Hearn were among those who turned to an unconventional viewing method, using a kitchen colander to project the eclipse safely. They were joined on the hilltop by Stephen Whiles and Andrea Illingworth, who had walked up from their homes nearby to watch the event together.
"It's just such a special day and we didn't really want to miss it. We live in the perfect spot. We just walked up the hill. Our back gate is just down there. We thought we'd celebrate with a glass of bubbly."
The colander technique was far from unique, as ordinary household objects were pressed into service by eclipse watchers wanting a safe way to observe the event without staring directly at the Sun. Ahead of the eclipse, guidance had already circulated on three safe household tricks for viewing the eclipse without glasses, including the colander method, a pinhole projector and a box viewer. In Tunbridge Wells, a simple pinhole projection allowed watchers such as Rhiannon Quinche to follow the event safely.
"It was like everything kind of went dark and it's just like this really eerie light, and even the birds don't know what's happening, it's so amazing, this little line of sun, I've not seen anything like it before."
In Great Bookham, Surrey, residents adopted the same approach, holding up colanders to cast pinhole-style projections of the eclipse onto the ground or nearby surfaces.
Meanwhile, on Tunbridge Wells Common, many attendees opted for solar viewing glasses as they gathered to watch the phenomenon unfold overhead. The rush for eyewear followed a wider shortage, after a UK and European shortage of certified eclipse glasses spread from London and Scotland to Liverpool and mainland Europe in the days before the eclipse.
In Eastbourne, Michael Simpson watched with his daughter Chloe and his sister Anne, using both eclipse glasses and homemade viewing equipment. Simpson, who had been in Nigeria during the 1999 eclipse but saw little owing to rainy-season cloud, said watching this year's event from the UK was "amazing", describing how the temperature dropped and the light dimmed before a crescent shape appeared in the sky.
Was this actually a total eclipse somewhere?
Yes — although the South East and Hertfordshire saw only a partial eclipse, the event was in fact a total solar eclipse along a narrow path that swept across Greenland, Iceland, the Atlantic Ocean, northern Spain and a small corner of Portugal, while much of the rest of Europe, Africa and North America experienced a partial eclipse, according to NASA. According to NASA's eclipse catalog, totality within that path lasted up to two minutes and 18 seconds at greatest eclipse, with a greatest magnitude of 1.039, and National Geographic reporting that the eclipse reached its maximum at 5:46pm UTC. According to Reuters, maximum totality occurred over the North Atlantic west of Iceland, with totality reaching Reykjavík at 5:48pm local time and parts of northern Spain shortly before sunset.
NASA identified the event as the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe in 27 years, and the first anywhere in the world since 2024, underlining why crowds across the UK were so eager to catch even a partial view. A national broadcaster's live coverage of the event estimated that millions of people across the UK and Europe watched the eclipse, with more than 90% of the Sun covered for most of the UK, according to a live blog covering the event.
How much of the Sun was covered in other cities?
Coverage varied significantly by location. NASA listed London as reaching 91% coverage during the partial eclipse, with Madrid at 99% and Lisbon at 95%, figures broadly consistent with the roughly 90% obscuration reported across southern England.
How did crowds in the West of England react to the eclipse?
Thousands of people across the West of England also stood or sat still on the evening of 12 August 2026 to watch the same partial eclipse, with more than 90% of the Sun obscured by the Moon at its peak. Crowds gathered in Weston-super-Mare, Bath, Bristol, Cheltenham and Warminster, using a mix of special eclipse glasses and improvised viewers made from cereal boxes and colanders.
Huge crowds gathered on Clifton Downs in Bristol, where free eclipse glasses were handed out earlier in the day, while large numbers also assembled on Trooper's Hill to watch the phenomenon. One nine-year-old boy, Louis, was given a pair of glasses by a stranger, allowing him to view the eclipse safely.
Further west, thousands also gathered across South West England and the Channel Islands, describing the views as breathtaking as families and visitors travelled specifically to witness the event.
How did crowds in Hertfordshire watch the eclipse?
Hundreds of people also gathered on a hillside in Hertfordshire, where the Letchworth and District Astronomical Society handed out safety glasses to crowds at Therfield Heath in Royston. With more than 90% of the Sun covered by the Moon, organisers said it was the most significant solar eclipse visible in the UK since 11 August 1999.
Royston mayor Elizabeth Freeman, who also saw the 1999 eclipse, welcomed the turnout.
"This is marvellous, to see so many people up here... It's just lovely to see so many people enjoying themselves."
Specialist glasses had sold out at many retailers, including those recommended by UK health officials, with Royal Museums Greenwich citing an "unprecedented volume" of demand. George Turrell, 20, from Letchworth, managed to find a pair and was on the heath with his partner Ebrielle Strickland, also 20, from Baldock, to see their first eclipse. He described the eclipse as "rather interesting" but admitted there had been a "panic" to try and find a pair of safety glasses in time.
Those unable to find glasses in Hertfordshire used other methods, including colanders as pinhole projectors to cast multiple images of the eclipse. Gerry Gani, from Kelshall, initially brought a colander to watch the rare solar event but managed to find safety glasses before the eclipse began.
"We're not going to be here for the next one, 2099, sorry guys. The atmosphere is incredible... It really brings out the best in people."
How did the rest of the UK experience the eclipse?
The event was watched well beyond the South East, West of England and Hertfordshire. On 12 August 2026, people across Wales watched the deepest partial solar eclipse since 1999 as the country simultaneously recorded its hottest August day, with 35.3°C measured in Aberystwyth. A day earlier, on 11 August 2026, Scotland saw its most dramatic partial eclipse in nearly three decades, with up to 95% of the Sun obscured, though cloud cover left views mixed from Ayr Beach to Calton Hill.
Why was this eclipse historically significant?
According to the Natural History Museum, the last total solar eclipse visible from the UK occurred on 11 August 1999, and the next total solar eclipse visible from the UK is not expected until September 2090, making the 12 August 2026 event a rare opportunity for observers of this generation. The museum explains that a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and that a pinhole camera — such as the colanders used across the South East — is a safe way to project the Sun's image without looking at it directly.
What safety warnings were issued?
Experts had urged eclipse watchers not to look directly at the Sun, warning that even brief exposure could cause lasting damage. NASA said viewers should use certified eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer whenever any part of the Sun is visible, and should never substitute ordinary sunglasses. The agency reiterated that looking directly at the Sun is unsafe except during the brief moments of totality, and that indirect methods such as pinhole projectors remain a safe alternative for those without certified glasses.
The eclipse also drew attention elsewhere in the country. A cyclist rode three and a half hours to Brough Observatory to watch the event, part of a wider pattern in which crowds across the UK and Europe turned out for the deepest such eclipse since 1999. Further north, crowds gathered at sites across Yorkshire using telescopes, glasses and homemade viewers to watch the same event.
What happens next?
No further total solar eclipse is scheduled to occur in 2026 following the 12 August event, according to NASA's future eclipse listings, and coverage of the event's peak times confirmed there was no later stage of the eclipse still to come once it concluded on the evening of 12 August 2026. The next total solar eclipse visible from the UK is not expected until September 2090, according to the Natural History Museum, meaning Wednesday's event is likely to remain a once-in-a-lifetime memory for many who watched it.
- The eclipse on 12 August 2026 was a total solar eclipse along a narrow path crossing Greenland, Iceland, the Atlantic, northern Spain and a small part of Portugal, with a partial eclipse visible across much of Europe, Africa and North America.
- London saw roughly 91% coverage, Madrid 99% and Lisbon 95%, according to NASA, with totality reaching Reykjavík at 5:48pm local time.
- It was the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe in 27 years and the first anywhere in the world since 2024, watched by millions across the UK and Europe.
- Crowds gathered across Kent, Surrey, Sussex, the West of England, Hertfordshire, Wales, Scotland and Yorkshire, using eclipse glasses, colanders and other pinhole projectors.
- The next total solar eclipse visible from the UK is not expected until September 2090, according to the Natural History Museum.
