Sun eclipse - 12th of August 2026

08/07/2026Jacek Drzycimski
Last year, We drove to Kentucky from NJ. It was long drive to go like 15 hours, and took more than 20 hours to came back home. But it was worth it. Amazing event of my life. Never forget but at least I can share with you all.

A major solar eclipse will be visible from England (and the rest of the UK/Ireland) on Wednesday, 12 August 2026.0
It is a total solar eclipse along a path that crosses Greenland, the western tip of Iceland, and northern/eastern Spain (plus a tiny bit of northeastern Portugal). England and the UK lie outside the path of totality, so the view from the UK is a deep partial eclipse. This will be the deepest solar eclipse visible from the UK since the 1999 total eclipse (which was total in parts of Cornwall and Devon).4
Coverage in England / UK
• Roughly 90–96% of the Sun will be covered, depending on location.
• Best views (highest coverage) are in the south-west:
◦ Isles of Scilly / Hugh Town ≈ 96.4%
◦ Cornwall (Penzance, Truro, etc.) ≈ 95–96%
◦ Pembrokeshire / south-west Wales ≈ 94%
• London, Manchester, Birmingham, etc. ≈ 91–92%
• Northern Scotland is a bit less (around 89–91%).2
The further south-west you are, the deeper the partial eclipse.
Approximate timings (British Summer Time / BST)
Times vary slightly by location (earlier in the north/east, later in the south-west). All times are local:
Location
First contact (starts)
Maximum
Ends
Edinburgh / Glasgow
~18:08–18:09
~19:05–19:06
~20:00
Manchester / Liverpool
~18:13
~19:10
~20:03–04
London / Bristol / Cardiff
~18:17
~19:12–19:13
~20:06
Truro / Cornwall
~18:18
~19:16
~20:10
Maximum lasts only a short time (the peak coverage is brief). The whole partial phase lasts about 1 hour 45–50 minutes.1
The Sun will be low in the western / west-northwestern sky (around 9–16° altitude at maximum, depending on location), so you need a clear, unobstructed view toward the west/north-west horizon. It occurs near sunset, which can make for dramatic views if the weather cooperates, but also means buildings, trees, or hills can easily block it.
Safety
Never look directly at the Sun without proper protection, even during a partial eclipse. Use certified ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses (or a safe solar filter on binoculars/telescope). Ordinary sunglasses, home-made filters, or phone cameras are not safe. A simple pinhole projector is a safe alternative that projects the crescent shape of the Sun.
Extra notes
• A total solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Spain (e.g., Bilbao, Zaragoza, Valencia area, and the Balearics), Iceland, and Greenland for those willing to travel.
• Later the same night the Perseid meteor shower peaks under a new (dark) Moon, so clear skies could give a double treat.
• Weather is the big unknown — August in the UK is often cloudy, and historical data suggests a decent chance of cloud, especially in the north-west. The south-east statistically has a slightly better chance of clearer skies.7
For precise local times and coverage for any town, sites like timeanddate or the Royal Observatory Greenwich guides are excellent. Enjoy the show safely if the skies cooperate!