Tag: partial solar eclipse

Astronomical Society of Edinburgh celebrates special celestial event

🌒 A memorable eclipse on Calton Hill!

Calton Hill was busy with visitors and locals gathering to watch the partial solar eclipse. Our free eclipse glasses were snapped up within just 10 minutes, while TV crews were also on hand, including an interview with our President.

Initially, it looked as though the clouds might spoil the show. But they repeatedly parted in the run-up to maximum, giving us a series of fantastic glimpses as the Moon steadily moved across the Sun.

As we approached 91% coverage, the excitement grew. Clouds continued to roll across the sky, but once again they opened up at just the right moments. As maximum eclipse approached, cheers went up from the crowd as the clouds parted, giving everyone a great view of the Sun at its most obscured.

A huge thank you to everyone who came along, to our Astronomical Society of Edinburgh volunteers, and to everyone who helped make the event possible.

Thanks especially to Collective Gallery At the City Observatory for allowing us access and supporting us. Thanks also to Go Stargazing who provided the bulk order of glasses for us and many more organisations and events, in collaboration with Astronomers Without Borders and First Light Optics Thanks also to DWARF LAB who provided us with a DWARF Mini for the event.

📸 PICTURES: Fantastic images captured by Astronomical Society of Edinburgh members.

World Space Week: Simple ways to experience a rare astronomical event

With World Space Week in orbit this week, Dan Green, editor of The Week Junior Science+Nature, provides his simple tips to experience a rare astronomical event, the partial solar eclipse, on Tuesday, 25 October.

The Week Junior Science+Nature this week launched its first guest-edited edition, edited by Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, space scientist, writer and TV’s ‘Sky at Night’ co-presenter, published to mark World Space Week 2022.

People across the UK will be able to experience a partial solar eclipse on Tuesday, 25 October.

In this rare astronomical event, the Moon’s orbit lines up closely with the Sun. Its dark disc will cross in front of the bright Sun, making it look as if someone has taken a bite out of the Sun. The partial eclipse will last about two hours – starting about 10.10am, it will reach its maximum by 11.00am and will be all done by 11.50am.

Here are four top tips to help you get the best view:

Sight lines in towns and cities are often blocked by tall buildings. Find an open area where you can get a clear view of the Sun.

Never look directly at the Sun, as this could damage your eyes.

To view the event safely, you’ll need eclipse glasses. You can buy them online, or dig out your old pair you kept in a drawer from the 1999 total solar eclipse.

A great way to view the eclipse is with a pinhole camera. Cut a 1-2mm circular hole in a piece of card. Standing with your back to the Sun, hold the card up so Sunlight passes through the hole and falls onto a piece of white paper.

Move the card back and forth until you get a sharp image. The bright dot on your piece of paper will clearly display the partially eclipsed Sun. (You can also get the same effect using a colander.)

The next partial solar eclipse visible in the UK is on 29 March 2025.