Wales set for biggest solar eclipse since 1999
Nation.Cymru Staff
The biggest solar eclipse visible from Wales since 1999 will take place next month, with the next comparable event more than 50 years away.
Wednesday 12 August 2026 will see a partial solar eclipse, visible only from certain parts of Europe, with Iceland, Greenland and Spain experiencing a total eclipse.
A solar eclipse takes place when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, partially or completely obscuring it from view. The eclipse next month will block around 90% of the Sun’s disc for viewers across the UK.
First contact, when the edges of the Moon and Sun appear to touch, will occur at around 6.15pm, with the “maximum” coverage expected to occur between 7.05pm and 7.15pm.
The exact timing will vary by location, but the best views in the UK are expected in the south-west, including Pembrokeshire.
Much of the southwestern Welsh coast will get to see around 94% coverage, which is likely to cause changes in temperature and give the appearance of a dark and cloudy day.
Around 95% coverage is expected in Cornwall, while viewers in south-west Ireland will get an almost total eclipse with 97.5% coverage.
Those elsewhere in Wales will still be able to witness the solar event, but may see slightly less coverage, with the phenomenon coming to an end almost an hour later, just after 8pm.
As the eclipse will take place in late evening when the sun is setting, the Royal Greenwich Observatory recommends “getting to a high point with a clear view of the western horizon” to see it from start to finish.
However, the astronomers added: “We’re at the mercy of the weather; there’s always the possibility that clouds could obscure part or all of the eclipse.”
The event will mark the most significant solar eclipse visible from the UK since 11 August 1999. There will be another partial solar eclipse, with 45% of the Sun’s surface covered, in September 2027.
After that, another significant eclipse is expected in 2081, with up to 99% coverage, while the next total solar eclipse visible from the UK will not take place until 2090.
More information on exact timings is available here.
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It be a sign, an omen, it cometh before the great reckoning. 14th August Clacton!