For those unable to witness the solar eclipse directly due to weather or a lack of protective eyewear, NASA is providing a comprehensive live broadcast. The stream offers views from the path of totality in Iceland and Spain, capturing the moment the moon completely obscures the sun.
NASA's coverage began at 18:15 BST, with the first glimpse of totality expected about 30 minutes later from telescopes in Iceland. Viewers can also see the event from Spain at 19:28 BST.
In addition to ground-based observations, NASA has deployed a WB–57 high-altitude jet to chase the eclipse's shadow. Flying at 50,000 feet and 460 miles per hour, the jet aims to extend the duration of totality to three minutes and capture scientific data. Specialized cameras in the jet's nose cone will photograph the sun at a high frame rate to study its corona, the normally obscured outer atmosphere.
Complementing the jet's mission, NASA is also launching 80 scientific balloons in Iceland and six in Spain to gather atmospheric measurements and images. Live commentary during the broadcast will provide updates on these scientific observations.
For viewers in the UK, the eclipse began shortly after 18:00 BST, with maximum coverage occurring about an hour later. While most of the UK will experience over 90 percent of the sun being obscured, true totality is visible only within a narrow path across the Earth's surface. For instance, in London, the eclipse starts at 18:17 BST, reaches maximum coverage at 19:12 BST, and ends at 20:06 BST.
The Royal Observatory Greenwich is also offering a live stream of the partial solar eclipse over London, using telescopes to provide a safe viewing option.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon's orbit places it directly between the Earth and the sun, obscuring direct sunlight and allowing the sun's corona to become visible. Although the moon is between the Earth and sun during every new moon, total solar eclipses are rare, occurring approximately every 18 months. This rarity is due to the tilt of the moon's orbit relative to Earth's orbit around the sun, making the precise alignment required for an eclipse infrequent. A unique cosmic coincidence, where the moon is about 400 times smaller than the sun but also 400 times closer to Earth, allows the moon to perfectly obscure the sun, a phenomenon specific to Earth in the solar system.
The next significant solar eclipse visible from the UK will be a partial eclipse on November 14, 2050, with over 80 percent of the sun obscured except in the far south and southwest of England. For totality visible from the UK, observers will need to wait until September 23, 2090. Several smaller partial eclipses are expected in the coming years, including one on June 1, 2030, with 50 percent of the sun obscured, and another on August 21, 2036, obscuring 60 to 70 percent. A 'Ring of Fire' eclipse will be visible in parts of South America and Africa on February 6, 2027, followed by a total eclipse visible in southern Spain, North Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen on August 2, 2027.