Met Office confirms date of NEXT big eclipse – and part of UK gets 100 per cent coverage

Expert explains date – and said it showed why it’s important to get a good look at today’s – as there’s a catch

The Met Office has confirmed the date of the next major solar eclipse – and added that part of the UK is likely to see 100 per cent coverage. Today’s eclipse (August 12, 2026) was observable throughout the entire UK with the SW seeing as much as 96 per cent coverage.

And Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern explained why today’s is so amazing – because the next best one’s not until 2081 – but if you’re still around by then it will be impressive – with one location especially good. There is an eclipse in 2027 – but the Uk will only see a maximum of 45 per cent of the sun covered.

He said: “The next best partial solar eclipse after this Wednesday, you have to wait until 2081 [Sept 3]. It goes very close to the far southwest of the UK. The Scilly Isles may just get a total solar eclipse, and then it moves through central Europe.

“So that’s 2081, if you can hang around for that. And if you want to know when the next total solar eclipse for the UK is, well, that’s September 2090, and you can see it happens actually quite late in the day for the UK, and it’s southern parts of England, South Wales, where there will be a total solar eclipse towards the end of the day. So, really good opportunity for seeing one of the best partial solar eclipses this century, and takes place this Wednesday evening. “

In today’s eclipse drivers have been told they may need to turn on their headlights during the solar eclipse. The RAC said the action might be necessary for vehicles which do not have automatic lights, to boost their visibility to other road users. More than 90% of the sun will be obscured by the moon between 6.17pm and 8.06pm on Wednesday.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “While total darkness is unlikely, those with vehicles that don’t have automatic headlights or daylight running lights may need to switch on their dipped beams to ensure they are easily visible to other road users.

“The best advice to enjoy this rare event is to pull over somewhere safe and watch with specialist glasses.”

Mr Williams urged anyone driving in a westerly direction around the time of the eclipse to avoid being distracted.

He said: “Taking your eyes off the road even for a split second to try to catch a glimpse of the sun as it disappears behind the moon increases the risk of being involved in a collision, not to mention the potential for suffering long-term damage to your vision.”

Here is exactly when to look and how much of the Sun will be covered across different parts of the UK on August 12

• South West England (Cornwall / Plymouth / Truro): This region gets some of the best views in mainland Britain. The eclipse begins at 6:18pm, hits a maximum coverage of 95% to 96% at 7:16pm, and ends at 8:10pm.
• Scotland (Edinburgh / Glasgow): The eclipse starts a little earlier here at 6:08pm. It reaches a peak coverage of 91% at 7:05pm and finishes up by 8:00pm.
• Wales (Cardiff / Swansea / Pembrokeshire): The eclipse starts at 6:16pm. It reaches peak coverage of 93% to 94% at 7:13pm and finishes around 8:07pm.
• Northern Ireland (Belfast): Skywatchers will see the eclipse begin at 6:10pm, reaching a deep peak coverage of 93% at 7:08pm, and wrapping up by 8:03pm.
• North West England & Midlands (Manchester / Liverpool / Birmingham): The partial eclipse begins at 6:13pm. It peaks with 91.5% coverage at 7:10pm (7:11pm for Birmingham) and ends around 8:04pm.
• London & South East England: The moon starts creeping over the Sun at 6:17pm. Maximum coverage will reach 91.4% at 7:13pm, with the event ending at 8:06pm.