Overview
- A partial solar eclipse will cross the UK on Wednesday 12 August 2026 with the Moon covering roughly 90–96% of the Sun, producing the deepest partial views in the UK since 1999.
- Royal Museums Greenwich and the Met Office give local first‑contact, peak and end times that put most peaks between about 7:02pm and 7:16pm and end times around 8:03–8:10pm depending on location.
- Health bodies and ophthalmologists say ordinary sunglasses are unsafe and advise certified ISO 12312-2 eclipse viewers, solar telescopes with proper filters, or indirect methods such as pinhole projectors or colander projections.
- Supply shortages of certified eclipse glasses have driven many people to organised public viewings, observatory livestreams and supervised telescope sessions that provide safe alternatives for viewers.
- Octopus Energy is running a limited reward scheme that asks enrolled customers to cut electricity use between 6pm and 8pm on the day for a chance at free weekend power or prizes, and a total eclipse will be visible in parts of Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain at the same time.