A rare cosmic event will see the sky over Liverpool change significantly tomorrow (Monday) evening.
The total solar eclipse will plunge much of the USA into darkness, turning the day skies into night. Flares of the sun’s corona will appear like a diamond ring in the sky.
And Liverpool will see some coverage at 7.57pm when the sun is basically right on the horizon – the window is very small as the start and end times are 7.55pm and 8pm.
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As the Earth is plunged into darkness, planets and comets may even be visible to the naked eye, and the eclipse could disrupt communications back on Earth. A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon completely covers the sun, and observers are within the darkest part of the moon’s shadow.
Areas covered by partial shade witness a partial eclipse, with around 3.1% of the sun set to be obscured over Merseyside.
Dr Edward Bloomer, senior astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said the UK is only going to get “a small grazing” of the eclipse in the west and north of the country. The sun will be very low on the horizon, and the window is 7.55pm until 8.14pm.
Dr Bloomer said: “I’m afraid the south and the east are out of luck this time around. We won’t ourselves get to see anything from the observatory, which we’re a bit sad about.”
The phenomenon itself will last two hours, with the eclipse starting in North America shortly after 2pm EDT (7pm BST). The path of totality – meaning where the total solar eclipse will be fully visible – will start shortly after 11am local time in Mazatlan, Mexico.
As always, the usual rules about not looking directly at the sun apply. However, experts say the eclipse can be viewed safely through real solar eclipse glasses – not 3D glasses or anything similar.
The safest, cheapest and arguably the most convenient way to view the event is by pinhole projection – make a hole in a piece of card, hold it under the sun, and hold a piece of paper behind the card. Using this method, people should be able to see the shape of the sun projected on to the paper, taking away the need to look directly at the sun.
The next total eclipse of the sun visible from the UK will be in 2090.
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Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
