Partial eclipse where I am in Jersey. 94% coverage.

Wednesday12th August.

Total Solar Eclipse on August 12, 2026 - NASA Science

https://share.google/DY6KsuYmvKfDkPoKn

Egad! Now thew sun goes bada-boom? ☀---->💥

It will be 96% from my home town of Ulverston. I really wish that I was going to be in the path of totality though ☹️There will be another chance on 2nd August 2027, and that is a BIG one.

17 hours ago, Christopher Low said:

There will be another chance on 2nd August 2027, and that is a BIG one.

It'll be overcast with heavy showers that day. I've seen it in the runes

You will still notice the dimming, and strange light effects.

91% eclipsed in my location. I’ve ordered a solar filter to attach to my 200-500mm Nikon lens so I can get good closeups. I’ll be driving a couple of miles to a country lane where the WNW horizon is excellent.

In the event of cloud I have another plan. Measure exposure before the eclipse starts (125th @f8 for example) and use the same settings throughout the eclipse. That will show how much the light fades.

It’s a very eerie light. Those who have witnessed one will know what I mean. The last big one in England was March 2015 with 95% eclipsed.

Back in June 1973 I witnessed a total solar eclipse off the coast of Mauritania. 6 minutes of totality. Fantastic experience.

On 7/17/2026 at 5:03 PM, Christopher Low said:

There will be another chance on 2nd August 2027, and that is a BIG one.

Not for Britain sadly but the Med is ideal. Location of maximum eclipse is Luxor, Egypt with 6m 21s. Lucky sods! Won’t be less than 40°C there though.

It will actually be 92.3% partial from Ulverston. That figure of 96% is from the extreme south western tip of Cornwall.

EDIT: That 2nd August 2027 total solar eclipse is a significant one for you, Ray. It is actually part of the same Saros series of eclipses that included the eclipse of 30th June 1973. It is also the reason why it is another long one. For the record, the Saros is a period of 18 years, 11 days and 8 hours in which the relative positions of the Sun, Earth and Moon almost repeat themselves.

I say almost, because the track of totality (or annularity if the Moon is near the furthest point in its orbit around Earth) shifts roughly one third of the way around the globe. Since the distance of the Moon from Earth is nearly the same as the last one in a series, the length of totality is also similar. The 1973 eclipse was preceded by the eclipse of 20th June 1955, which (at 7m8s) was the longest total solar eclipse in that specific Saros series, and the longest total eclipse since the 11th Century. The 1973 eclipse was 7m4s at maximum, and that was followed by the eclipses of 11th July 1991, and 22nd July 2009. They were both very long eclipses, but the maximum length of totality is gradually reducing as the series progresses. Nevertheless, at 6m23s, the 2nd August 2027 eclipse will be the longest total solar eclipse for the next 87 years.

Edited July 18Jul 18 by Christopher Low

1 hour ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

It’s a very eerie light. Those who have witnessed one will know what I mean.

Very eerie indeed. And I recall that the birds fell silent.

38 minutes ago, Christopher Low said:

That 2nd August 2027 total solar eclipse is a significant one for you, Ray. It is actually part of the same Saros series of eclipses that included the eclipse of 30th June 1973.

I lived in Norwich at the time and saw an advert for a 16 day Solar Eclipse cruise leaving Liverpool on 22 June with stops in Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Nouadhibou, Mauritania. The latter was post-eclipse and was a memorable event. I needed a Yellow Fever jab for just a few hours ashore. Safe then, less so now.

Patrick Moore was on the cruise with the Sky At Night team. It cost me £139 together with £30 spending money. 😁

Have you any plans to get to the eclipse path? Maybe Tunisia?

23 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Patrick Moore was on the cruise with the Sky At Night team. It cost me £139 together with £30 spending money. 😁

According to the Bank of England's inflation calculator, that's the equivalent of £1900 today.

Absolute bargain!

47 minutes ago, Ray Proudfoot said:

Have you any plans to get to the eclipse path? Maybe Tunisia?

I would love to see the eclipse, Ray. I need to get myself organised, and sort something out.

40 minutes ago, Christopher Low said:

I would love to see the eclipse, Ray. I need to get myself organised, and sort something out.

I would expect there to be charter flights to the many locations in the path of totality. Even a day trip is not beyond the possibilities.

I did a dry run today with a newly acquired solar filter attached to a 200-500mm lens on my Nikon D7100. A few sunspots are visible.

For the technical minded it was 1/100th at f8 with ISO of 400. Tripod mounted. Oh to have today’s weather on the 12th.