Best ways to watch the solar eclipse this morning and how to protect your eyes
The solar eclipse will be high in the sky this morning when the sun and moon become aligned with each other.
This solar eclipse, also known as an annular eclipse, is when almost a third of the sun is blocked out by the moon.
Occurring only once every year or two, it's an eclipse not to be missed with a specular view of the sun and moon crossing over each other.
An eclipse happens when the moon comes between the sun and the Earth, the three become aligned and the moon leaves a shadow on our planet.
It is set to be the biggest partial eclipse since 2015 and people across the world will be able to see it.
The UK will experience a partial eclipse where only part of the sun will be covered.
What time to see the solar eclipse?
The partial eclipse is due to begin at 10.07 am this morning, and is estimated to end at 12.26 pm with the maximum eclipse at 11.14 am.
Other countries such as Greenland, Northern Canada and Northeastern Russia will experience an annular eclipse, where the sun is completely covered.
Experts have suggested that despite only a small area of the sun being exposed, looking at the partially eclipsed sun could seriously damage your eyes if no eye protection is worn.
If you’re wanting to look out for this phenomenon it is vital that you do not look at the eclipse directly.
How to protect your eyes
An astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, Dr Emily Drabek-Maunder, said: "Never look at the sun directly or use standard sunglasses, it can cause serious harm to your eyes."
Dr Drabek-Maunder suggests using a pinhole projector to look at the eclipse, these can be made by poking a hole through a piece of card.
She added: "Hold the card up to the sun so that light shines through the hole and onto a piece of paper behind the card.
"You will be able to see the shape of the sun projected onto the piece of paper and watch its shape change as the Moon passes in front of the sun”.
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Another tip to view the eclipse from a household object is suggested by Science Focus, which says: “Grab a colander and go outside.
"Simply hold it out and gaze down at the holes on the floor (place down a piece of white paper to help you see), each of which will show the crescent of the partial eclipse.
"You need to look at the ground at the gaps in the colander’s shadow – don’t place a colander on your head and stare upwards (not even you could pull off that look)”.
Eclipse glasses are also available to buy online to help protect your eyes if you’re wanting to experience them first hand but be careful when purchasing that these are sufficient ones to use.
If you’d rather stay indoors to protect your eyes, The Royal Observatory Greenwich will be live streaming the eclipse via its website and Youtube channel.
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