Overview
- The partial eclipse will occur on Wednesday, August 12, with first contact across the UK between about 6:08pm and 6:18pm, maximum coverage around 7:02pm–7:16pm and the event ending by roughly 8:06pm–8:10pm.
- Authorities including the UK Health Security Agency and Royal Museums Greenwich say looking at the Sun without ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses or an indirect method can cause instant and lasting retinal damage.
- Retailers report high demand and local shortages of certified eclipse glasses, and experts warn against using old, scratched or uncertified viewers and ordinary sunglasses for direct viewing.
- Science and media organisations will livestream the eclipse and deploy aircraft and high‑altitude balloons to study the Sun’s corona and short-term atmospheric effects while offering cloud‑insured public coverage.
- Octopus Energy has launched a customer incentive that rewards reduced electricity use during the 6–8pm window and authorities note the eclipse may cause brief, localized drops in solar generation that grid operators will balance.