You probably saw on the news yesterday (April 8) that a total solar eclipse swept over North America. We even wrote an article about how, maybe, sort of, not really at all, you might’ve been able to see it from this country. But, seeing as the last total eclipse in the UK was in 1999, we feel long overdue for a proper experience of the solar phenomenon.
What is a total solar eclipse?
Just so we’re clear, a solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun. It’s only a total solar eclipse when the moon completely blocks out the light of the sun. A partial eclipse is when the moon only partially covers the sun. These rare events only happen for short periods and are only visible in specific places. Got it? Cool.
When is the next total solar eclipse?
Okay, time for some disappointing news, the next total solar eclipse visible from the UK won’t happen apparently until September 30, 2090 – that’s 66 years and 166 days, if you’re trying to figure it out. And in London, it won’t apparently be until June 14, 2151. It’s not looking great.
But here is some good news. According to Time and Date, the next total solar eclipse will happen on August 12, 2026, but it will only be fully visible in Greenland, Iceland, Portugal, Russia and Spain. Before you start scheduling your summer holidays around it, the UK will still see a partial solar eclipse on the day.
The moon will obscure about 90% of the sun on that Wednesday over London. So it’s set to be a pretty spectacular sight regardless of whether it is or isn’t a “total solar eclipse”. That’s for nerds to worry about… Starting at 6:17pm and ending at 8:06 pm it will last around 1 hour and 49 minutes – peaking around 7:13pm.
Before then, another, less impressive partial eclipse will be visible over London. On March 29, 2025 – between 10:07am and 12:00pm – the moon will cover roughly 30% of the sun above our heads. You might also be interested to learn that a total lunar eclipse will take place on September 7, 2025, when Earth moves between the moon and sun, and creates a shadow on the moon, and… it’s a whole other thing.